plante-fourmi

CONT: La coévolution plantes-fourmis. Contre une protection, les plantes fournissent le gîte (domaties : épines, tiges, limbes présentant des cavités) et/ou le couvert (nectar extrafloral; corps nourriciers).

CONT: Two genera of ferns are known to be ant-fed, ant-house epiphytes. In southeast Asia, the genus Lecanopteris grows in much the same habitat as the rubiaceous ant-plants ... Like Dischidia, Lecanopteris species display a variety of ant-house structures ... Lecanopteris mirabilis has the simplest domatium, a solid, arching rhizome that hugs the tree branch. Ants live in the hollow between the rhizome and the bark.
CONT: Highly specialized domatia are found in southeast Asian species of the family Rubiaceae. These relatives of coffee and gardenias are the classic ant-fed ant-house plants. ... The domatium of these epiphytes is the base of the stem which becomes enlarged into a tuber. Hollow, interconnected chambers form within the tuber as tissue dies back. The chambers have entrance holes which allow the ants access, and in some cases, tiny pores further ventilate the chambers ... Nutrients released by decay of the ants' waste, mostly leftover insect pieces, are absorbed by special ""warts"" inside the chambers ...