Using phylogenetic analysis, researchers report that the history of interactions between ants and plants began in the Mesozoic era, as ants shifted from predation to herbivory, with omnivory as an intermediate step; the results suggest that ants used plants for food and nesting long before plants evolved structures to accommodate arthropods, and although interactions with ants likely facilitated plant diversification, plant interactions did not shape ant diversification, according to the authors.
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Article #17-19794: "Ant-plant interactions evolved through increasing interdependence," by Matthew P. Nelsen, Richard H. Ree, and Corrie S. Moreau.
MEDIA CONTACT: Matthew P. Nelsen, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL; tel: 773-213-7342; e-mail: mpnelsen@gmail.com
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences