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 59 vines and the ant-acacia DHJanzen100141.jpg high resolution
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| Simple shade is not the only problem suffered by an unoccupied ant-acacia. The early successional stages occupied by ant-acacias are very rich in individuals and species of fast-growing vines. The ant-acacia is a natural trellis, with the thorns and various short branches making excellent anchoring points for many kinds of climbing. The experiment is obvious. Remove the ants without affecting the plant. This was accomplished by spraying the acacias with parathion (a short half-life but very toxic pesticide), and in the process nearly killing myself (such details as avoiding clouds of parathion were not of great interest to this young graduate student from a California aggie school). It also turned out that the phosphorus in the parathion (a phosphate) served as a mild foliar (and probably soil) fertilizer, stimulating a short burst of growth by the soused ant-acacias. In the case of this experiment, 1-3 m tall acacias were paired and one or the other had its ant-colony removed. The results were as expected and can be seen by comparing a control plant (above) with an experimental plant (image DHJanzen100142.jpg) below. | ||
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