Interspecific communication: treehopper alarms make ants come running.
Stable mutualisms are ubiquitous in nature and this presents a puzzle for evolutionary biology. A new study of interactions between treehoppers and ants shows that honest communication coordinates anti-predator behaviour to improve the efficiency of the service ants provide.
Jackson
Duncan E
DE
University of Sheffield, Department of Computer Science, Regent Court, 211 Portobello Street, Sheffield S1 4DP, UK. duncan@dcs.sheffield.ac.uk
D000819:Animal Communication; D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000502:physiology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D005075:Biological Evolution; D006430:Hemiptera / Q000502:physiology*; D013559:Symbiosis