Organism
Leaf-Cutter Ant
TL;DR
Leaf-cutter ants and their cultivated fungi are obligately mutualistic.
Leaf-cutter ants and their cultivated fungi are obligately mutualistic. The ants provide fungus with fresh plant material and protect it from pathogens and competitors; the fungus provides ants with nutrients including enzymes to digest cellulose that ants cannot produce themselves.
Neither can survive without the other - fungal species exist only in ant colonies, and ants depend entirely on fungus for nutrition. This absolute interdependence eliminates cheating incentives.
Notable Traits of Leaf-Cutter Ant
- Cultivates fungus gardens
- Cannot digest cellulose without fungal enzymes
- Obligate mutualist