Fiji’s Squamellaria Plant Cultivates Unique Multi-Species Ant Habitats

In 2014, on a humid day in Fiji, evolutionary biologist Guillaume Chomicki from Durham University carefully sliced into a soccer ball-sized tuber adorned with leafy shoots.

This specimen belonged to the Squamellaria genus, a group of plants that grow on trees and are renowned for their symbiotic relationship with ants, which serve as their tenants.

Each Squamellaria species typically provides a safe nesting site for a particular ant species, protecting them from predators and heavy rain—a crucial advantage in ant-populated rainforests where suitable housing is scarce. In exchange, the ants supply vital nutrients through their waste to the rootless plants and aid seed dispersal by transporting seeds to fresh bark crevices, ensuring the plants’ regeneration.

However, upon dissecting the tuber, Dr. Chomicki was surprised to find not one but two distinct ant colonies from separate species cohabiting within the same plant.

Given the typically aggressive interactions between different ant species, the coexistence within a single tuber raised questions about how these species avoid conflict and maintain the plant-insect partnership.

Recent research published in the journal Science reveals that some Squamellaria plants act as meticulous landlords, constructing individual compartments within their tubers to house up to five different ant colonies. This specialized botanical architecture enables multiple ant species to live side by side peacefully, supporting a diverse and thriving community inside a single plant structure.