Cecropia

Cecropia trees are rainforest pioneers that have also discovered ant-based defense. Their hollow stems house Azteca ant colonies; their glycogen bodies (Müllerian bodies) feed them. Like bullhorn acacias, cecropias outsource defense to aggressive ant partners. Unlike acacias, cecropias are gap-phase opportunists - fast-growing trees that colonize forest openings and need protection during their rapid establishment.

The timing of the partnership makes sense. Cecropia's fast growth strategy leaves little room for investment in chemical defenses or tough leaves. The tree puts everything into height gain, racing to fill canopy gaps before slower species catch up. Ant defense provides protection at precisely the life stage when the tree is most valuable and most vulnerable - young and growing fast.

Cecropia's stems are naturally hollow, segmented by thin partitions. Founding ant queens chew entry holes and establish colonies that expand as the tree grows. The tree doesn't grow modified structures for ants; its basic architecture happens to be ant-compatible. The mutualism evolved not by specialized adaptation but by exploiting existing structures.

The business insight is that fast-growing organizations particularly benefit from security partnerships. Startups that grow faster than they can build operational capabilities often partner with established firms for credibility, compliance, or actual security services. Cecropia teaches that rapid growth and mature defense are often incompatible - you build one or buy the other.