Imagine a world hidden within the hollow stem of a plant—a bustling metropolis of ants, secret tunnels, nurseries, and an ...

Together, we faced the forest’s unpredictability, taking measurements while balanced on steep slopes, working through the tangles of vining lianas, dodging biting acacia ants, and escaping ...

Argentine ants have been found on six continents, from South America to Japan. Researchers are studying their impact.

The acacia tree provides shelter and food (nectar and specialized nodules) for the ants, while the ants aggressively protect the tree from herbivores and competitors.

When building a bird nest in ant territory, the best defense could be an offensive fungus. Swollen-thorn acacia trees are aggressively defended by multiple species of ants. And yet, several ...

A Natural History of the World's Spiders," author Ximena Nelson examines three species of spider with unusual diets — plants, ...

There are more than 20,000 species of ants, including such noticables as picnic ants, sidewalk ants, carpenter ants, and so on. Less noted by most of us, there are also many mutualistic ants that ...

The whistling thorn trees and the acacia ants had a steady, mutualistic relationship and supported each other for many years. Then – an invasive ant disturbed their relationship, setting off a ...

Native acacia ants are killed by the smaller invasive big-headed ants, leaving whistling-thorn trees defenseless against elephants. Credit: Pat Milligan When people talk about the interconnectedness ...