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How do ants cooperate with other organisms to obtain food?

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Group of fallow deer (Dama dama) stags with large, palmate antlers standing alert in a green summer field. — Animal The fallow deer (*Dama dama*) has been introduced in many areas ever since the Neolithic Period.

Ants cooperate with other organisms through various mutualistic relationships to secure food sources, demonstrating complex social and ecological behaviors.12

Farming and Cultivation

Some ant species act as farmers, intentionally cultivating fungi for food. Leafcutter ants, for example, harvest leaves to create a substrate for specific fungi. The ants meticulously weed out competing fungi and use antimicrobial substances to protect their crop, which in turn provides the ants with specialized nutrient-rich structures called gongylidia.32

Herding and Protection

Other ants engage in "herding" behaviors with aphids. Ants protect these sap-sucking insects from predators and weather, and even move them to healthy plants. In exchange, the ants "milk" the aphids to collect honeydew, a sugary secretion that serves as a vital food source.14

Plant-Ant Mutualism

Ants also form partnerships with plants. For instance, acacia ants live within the thorns of bullhorn acacia trees, feeding on nectar produced by the plant. In return, the ants aggressively defend the tree against herbivores and competing vegetation.152