Vincetoxicum nakaianum, described only last year, emits a scent that resembles ants being attacked by spiders—and thus lures grass flies that feed on wounded prey and pollinate its flowers. Research pushes the boundaries of flower mimicry
Researchers led by Ko Mochizuki from the University of Tokyo discovered that Vincetoxicum nakaianum, a relatively new species of the Herdophidae family that was scientifically described only last year, Mimics the scent of attacked ants To attract grass flies (Chloropidae) that feed on wounded prey—and during the search for it, Pollinate its flowers. This The first documented case of ant scent imitation by a plant, and it significantly expands the range of mimicry strategies in the plant world. The findings were published inCurrent Biology.
As a proverb says: the smell of fresh bread “attracts” customers to the bakery; so do grass flies—their “daily bread” is Injured antsAs they migrate from flower to flower in search of already damaged prey, they provide plants with a first-class ecological service: pollinationGiven the vast distribution of ants and their widespread mimicry in many invertebrate species, it was likely that plants would also develop similar mimicry—but this has not been reported until now.
“I was working on another project,” Mochizuki says, “and I collected this species just for comparison purposes. I happened to notice that grass flies were gathering around its flowers at the Koishikawa Botanical Garden, and I immediately realized that the flowers might mimic Smell of dead insects. "
Identifying the mechanism relies on a combination of scientific training and accumulated experience: an intensive course he took in 2019 helped him identify the grass flies, and early familiarity with studies that examined plants that pollinate through the emission of Odor cocktails that resemble the smell of insects.
Mochizuki subsequently conducted systematic observations of flower visitors and analytically compared the odors emitted by the flowers with the odors of various types of insects. It was found that The smell of ants being attacked by spiders is the closest resemblance. However, the hypothesis was tenuous: until then, no formal observations had been published of grass flies—or related flies—targeting specificallyAnts injured by hunters (e.g. spiders). To strengthen the hypothesis, Mochizuki turned to social networks, and found Many records of nature lovers: Spiders that caught ants, and gathered around them Kleptoparasitic flies (The chicks take food from another hunter.) These findings encouraged controlled behavioral tests that showed that Grass flies are more attracted to the smell of attacking ants than to alternative scents.
“The moment I saw the flies on the flowers was A moment of inspiration,” Mochizuki recalled. “The hypothesis took shape in an instant—a reminder that unexpected discoveries are sometimes born from a combination of Preparation and Opportunity. "
Looking ahead: Mochizuki is already planning to explore The evolutionary background of ant mimicry by comparing the pollination systems, phylogenetic history, and genetic composition of V. nakaianum and its relatives. In addition, since the study suggests that Many forms of flower imitation are still hidden from view, intends to examine additional species—both within the genus Vincetoxicum and in unrelated plant groups—to uncover additional examples of Possible imitation.
More of the topic in Hayadan:
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Cool.
There are so many details we don't know. Can we guess how many of them we do know?
Does the 'plant that mimics the smell of ants' have a laboratory where it tried different scents until it reached the right scent? Did it test thousands of chemicals? What scent did it emit before? Did the insects that helped it run out in the past run out, so it switched to a new scent? A mutation?
Chloropidae = Chloropidae family
That's the family's official name.