Neighborly help in the Amazon rainforest

Research Group Plant Defense Physiology, and Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, in cooperation with Pontifica Universidad Católica del Perú

Here, PhD student Andrea Müller has captured a symbiotic relationship deep in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest: The plant Tococa quadrialata provides shelter for ants of the Azteca species in the form of sphere-like structures called "domatia". In return, the ants defend their plant against predators such as caterpillars that feed on Tococa leaves. In her project, Andrea Müller is trying to find out how important the little inhabitants are in the life of the plant, not only in terms of defense but also in nutrient supply. To do this, she spends several months a year in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest collecting samples and conducting experiments.

© Andrea Müller

Neighborly help in the Amazon rainforest

Research Group Plant Defense Physiology, and Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, in cooperation with Pontifica Universidad Católica del Perú

Here, PhD student Andrea Müller has captured a symbiotic relationship deep in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest: The plant Tococa quadrialata provides shelter for ants of the Azteca species in the form of sphere-like structures called "domatia". In return, the ants defend their plant against predators such as caterpillars that feed on Tococa leaves. In her project, Andrea Müller is trying to find out how important the little inhabitants are in the life of the plant, not only in terms of defense but also in nutrient supply. To do this, she spends several months a year in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest collecting samples and conducting experiments.

© Andrea Müller