You've likely not heard of the term myrmecophily. Literally meaning ant love, it refers to ants' bonds with other organisms.

From fundamental biological units as tiny as genes to complex societies, ecological systems rely on cooperation. All manner of organisms can benefit from working together to survive in a dog-eat-dog ...

In a type of relationship known as mutualism, two different species benefit from one another through cooperation. While some animals live solitary lives, many rely on partnerships that improve their ...

It’s mutualism we’ll mostly look at today. Two types of mutualism occur in animal relationships. Obligate mutualism is when both species depend on the interaction for survival. Facultative mutualism ...

Call them nature’s own luxury high-rise condo rentals. Squamellaria plants, from the same family as coffee and quinine, are fat aerial tubers perched high in tropical trees. In Fiji, one of the ...

Scientists discovered that swollen-thorn acacias invested more in ant rewards during a drought, suggesting that mutualistic interactions play a crucial role in the plant’s survival, even during ...

Pseudomyrmex spinicola ants feeding on nectar produced from extrafloral nectaries, located at the base of the leaves of swollen-thorn acacias (Vachellia collinsii). In this obligate mutualistic ...

Abiotic environmental variables strongly affect the outcomes of species interactions. For example, mutualistic interactions between species are often stronger when resources are limited. The effect ...