Each of these three types of ants built their homes in either the plant’s leaves or roots. They tested one type of bromeliad with three types of ants. The researchers potted each bromeliad individually and kept them in a greenhouse. Researchers collected bromeliads and ants from a forest in Brazil. To figure this out, scientists looked at how the ants’ diets affect plant fitness. Scientists wanted to test if ants that bring insects back home might help the bromeliads get more protein, and if the ants’ diets affect this. Because bromeliads cannot move to find more protein, they likely benefit when ants bring insects home. Most plants make carbohydrates from photosynthesis. Proteins and carbohydrates are both important for healthy plant growth. Thus, the nutrients that the plant gets may depend on what kind of food the ants bring back. Insects are mainly protein, while fruits and honey are mainly carbohydrates. These foods hold different types of nutrients. There are ants that like to eat insects, and ants that mainly eat fruits and honey. In the forest, different types of ants eat different foods. Many bromeliads have spaces in their roots or leaves, where ants can build a fairly protected colony. So, this is a win-win situation-both ants and bromeliads benefit by living together… or so it seems. In return, bromeliads can get extra nutrients from the ants when they bring food back to the colony.
These make great places where ants can build their homes. There are empty spaces in the base of leaves in some plants, and others have tangled roots that create small spaces. Bromeliads provide shelter for ant colonies. Some ants and bromeliads share a relationship in which they each depend on the other.
Bromeliads have roots too, but their roots are mainly used to hold on to surfaces. The leaves of some bromeliads have short, small hairs, which act like little fingers to help get water and carbon from the air around the plant.īromeliads get other nutrients from dead leaves and debris that collect in their water pools. Some bromeliads, like other epiphytes, get their food and water from the air, rain, and debris that collects around them. Epiphytes don’t parasitize the plants they grow on, but may grow there for support, and for different light and humidity conditions. Epiphytes can grow on the ground, but they can also grow on the surface of other plants, including trees. Most of them are epiphytes, meaning they live on other objects for physical support. How Do Epiphytes Eat?Įpiphytes are plants that grow on other objects for support.īromeliads are a type of flowering plant. In the PLOS ONE article, “ Species-Specific Effects of Ant Inhabitants on Bromeliad Nutrition”, scientists tested how ants and their diet can affect the health of bromeliad plants. Is this food delivery system helping the bromeliad? Well, that might depend on what kind of food the ants bring back. The ants go and collect nearby food and bring it back home, into the bromeliads. Some bromeliads function as a home for ants. Some flowering plants, called bromeliads, might have food delivered directly to them by an animal-an ant! However, this does happen in some situations in real life. Wouldn’t it be amazing if your food was delivered to you without you moving, or even asking for it?įor humans, most can only dream of such a wish. You wished someone could bring you your favorite snack. You’re so tired, you just want to lay there, but your tummy starts to rumble. You walk through the door after soccer practice, and collapse on the couch. What if food was just brought to you in one spot, on a regular schedule, and you wouldn't have to move or ask to get it?
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