Banyan trees are fig trees that begin their life as an epiphyte. The most noticeable feature of banyan Ficus species is their extraordinary aerial roots, which enable them to live as hemi-epiphytes, ...

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol. 99, No. 8 (Apr. 16, 2002), pp. 5498-5502 (5 pages) Evolutionary key innovations give organisms access to new ...

Scientists discovered that swollen-thorn acacias invested more in ant rewards during a drought, suggesting that mutualistic interactions play a crucial role in the plant’s survival, even during ...

Oikos is a journal issued by the Nordic Ecological Society and is one of the leading peer-reviewed journals in ecology. Oikos publishes original and innovative research on all aspects of ecology.

Pseudomyrmex spinicola ants feeding on nectar produced from extrafloral nectaries, located at the base of the leaves of swollen-thorn acacias (Vachellia collinsii). In this obligate mutualistic ...