Bribery and Double-Crossing among Peruvian Insects
Young inga trees give ants nectar in exchange for guard duty against ravenous caterpillers—but sometimes the ants get a better offer
By Lydia Chain
This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
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A hungry caterpillar can quickly munch enough through enough of a young inga tree’s leaves to dramatically limit it’s survival. So the trees, which grow in the Peruvian rainforest, depend on ant bodyguards.The trees pay up in precious nectar to entice big-headed ants to drive off invading caterpillars. But one species of caterpillar bribes the guards, producing its own nectar as it chomps away. Watch KQED Deep Look’s newest video for a close-up look at this back-stabbing behavior.
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