An Azteca pittieri ant patrols the surface of an Ecuador laurel tree (Cordia alliodora) in Jalisco, Mexico. When water is scarce, trees support more sap-feeding scale insects that feed defending ants, and ants provide better defense against leaf-eating pests. Pringle et al. (e1001705) show that this pattern can be explained by the high costs of leaf loss to trees when conditions are dry.
Image Credit: Enrique Ramírez-García
Synopses
Hardship Strengthens Mutual Bonds
PLOS Biology: published November 5, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001706
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Research Articles
Water Stress Strengthens Mutualism Among Ants, Trees, and Scale Insects
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Long Noncoding RNAs Promote Transcriptional Poising of Inducible Genes
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Formal Comments
The Shoe Fits, but the Footprint is Larger than Earth
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The Ecological Footprint Remains a Misleading Metric of Global Sustainability
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