Host plant use by competing acacia-ants: mutualists monopolize while parasites share hosts.

Protective ant-plant mutualisms that are exploited by non-defending parasitic ants represent prominent model systems for ecology and evolutionary biology. The mutualist Pseudomyrmex ferrugineus is an obligate plant-ant and fully depends on acacias for nesting space and food. The parasite Pseudomyrme...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Stefanie Kautz, Daniel J Ballhorn, Johannes Kroiss, Steffen U Pauls, Corrie S Moreau, Sascha Eilmus, Erhard Strohm, Martin Heil
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2012-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3360759?pdf=render