Nightshade plant found to produce sweet nectar in wounds to attract ants that ward off herbivores
Tuesday, April 26, 2016 - 09:30
in Biology & Nature
(Phys.org)—A team of researchers from institutions in Germany and the Netherlands has found that bittersweet nightshade plants exude a nectar-like liquid that serves no purpose other than to attract ants, which in turn attack some of the animals that come to feed on the plant. In their paper published in Nature Plants, the team describes their study of the plant, the ants and the prey that feed on the plant.