Species-specific seed dispersal in an obligate ant-plant mutualism.

Throughout lowland Amazonia, arboreal ants collect seeds of specific plants and cultivate them in nutrient-rich nests, forming diverse yet obligate and species-specific symbioses called Neotropical ant-gardens (AGs). The ants depend on their symbiotic plants for nest stability, and the plants depend...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Elsa Youngsteadt, Jeniffer Alvarez Baca, Jason Osborne, Coby Schal
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2009-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC2632754?pdf=render