Myrmecophily
close cross-species association involving ants
Myrmecophily ( mur-mə-KOF-ə-lee, lit. 'love of ants') consists of positive, mutualistic, interspecies associations between ants and a variety of other organisms, such as plants, other arthropods, and fungi. It may also include commensal or even parasitic interactions.
A "myrmecophile" is an organism that associates with ants. An estimated 10,000 species of ants (Formicidae) are known, with a higher diversity in the tropics. In most terrestrial ecosystems, ants are ecologically and numerically dominant, being the main invertebrate predators. As a result, ants play a key role in controlling arthropod richness, abundance, and community structure. The evolution of myrmecophilous interactions has contributed to the abundance and ecological success of ants, by ensuring a dependable and energy-rich food supply, thus providing a competitive advantage for ants over other invertebrate predators. Most such associations are opportunistic, unspecialized, and facultative, though obligate mutualisms are common.
As ant nests grow and become more specialized, they are more likely to house larger numbers and a greater diversity of myrmecophiles.
Myrmecophile
A "myrmecophile" is an organism that lives in association with ants.
The public source identifies “Myrmecophily” as close cross-species association involving ants. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Myrmecophily, close and cross-species.
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This entry incorporates text from “Myrmecophily” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.