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Tomasz Dziubinski - Photography | all galleries >> COLOR AND COLOUR PHOTOGRAPHY >> MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY >> Macro-Creatures > The Brown Ants and Aphids
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© 2009 Tomasz Dziubinski

The Brown Ants and Aphids

Warsaw, Poland

The Brown Ant, Hurtnica wstydliwa (Lasius brunneus) and Aphids, also known as plant lice.

Symbioses.
The Brown Ant and some other species of ants "farm" aphids, protecting them on the plants they eat, eating the honeydew that the aphids release from the terminations of their alimentary canals.
This is a "mutualistic relationship".

These "dairying ants" "milk" the aphids by stroking them with their antennae. Therefore, sometimes aphids are called "ant cows". Some farming ant species gather and store the aphid eggs in their nests over the winter. In the spring, the ants carry the newly-hatched aphids back to the plants. Some species of dairying ants (such as the European yellow meadow ant, Lasius flavus) manage large "herds" of aphids that feed on roots of plants in the ant colony. Queens that are leaving to start a new colony take an aphid egg to found a new herd of underground aphids in the new colony. These farming ants protect the aphids by fighting off aphid predators.


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Guest 07-May-2009 10:58
Excellent macro... well done!
Guest 07-May-2009 09:07
awesome!
Paco López07-May-2009 07:13
Superb! V!
zyziza07-May-2009 06:07
Fine close-up. They are very hard-working.
v
Guest 07-May-2009 04:34
Wonderful details Tomasz, Vote
Guest 07-May-2009 02:21
outstanding image ! V~!
waterfalls man07-May-2009 00:53
Excellent Shot & Detail V
Guest 07-May-2009 00:47
Wonderful!!! _V_
PauloCGama07-May-2009 00:27
Amazing details, Tomasz!! Huge v
pr_rajan07-May-2009 00:26
...great catch!~V~