Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
3,913,953,374 visitors served.
forum Join the Word of the Day Mailing List For webmasters
?
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

Myrmecophily

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
Myrmecophily 

the use by ants of various plant parts or excretions. Myrmecophilous plants are found primarily in the tropics of America and Southeast Asia. The ants inhabit hollow stems, spines, or internodal cavities. They also dwell in the passages of tuberous stems. In other cases, the ants feed on a plant’s glandular excretions, which contain proteins, sugars, and fats. Another form of myrmecophily is the adaptation by a number of animals to life in anthills and ant nests. The relationship between the ants and their guests myrmecophiles may be neutral, but cases of symbiosis and commensalism are not rare.



Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Feedback
Mentioned in?   Encyclopedia browser?   Full browser?
No references found
 
 
 
Encyclopedia
?

Terms of Use | Privacy policy | Feedback | Advertise with Us | Copyright © 2012 Farlex, Inc.
Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.