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 27 sixth step DHJanzen100109.jpg high resolution
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| In the central part of the tree crown, however, are a few very large, twisted and inflated thorns such as those in the center of the photograph. The queen ant will be in one of these thorns, usually in one upper-central to the crown. As the tree crown moves upward through normal growth (adding thorns, branches, leaves at the top, dropping them lower down), the queen moves from an older queen thorn to a newer (higher) queen thorn, perhaps once a year (or less often). As the tree is dissected, each of these queen thorns is carefully examined for the queen (see DHJanzen100110.jpg). Queen thorns are much stronger than ordinary thorns, and much harder to break or rip open. They have fibers running at angles through the thorn walls, and have clearly been evolved to protect the colony queen - if she is killed, the colony dies (it does not replace the queen) and the tree is then without its defenses. In some parts of Mesoamerica, birds are adept at raming their bill into the thorn entrance and ripping open the thorn to get the ant larvae (and probably the ants) inside; these birds cannot tear open a queen thorn, but may split nearly all of the ordinary thorns on a tree. | ||
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