myrmecochory

Myrmecochory is a form of seed dispersal specifically carried out by ants. This process is a type of zoochory, which is seed dispersal by animals.12

Certain ants consume a fleshy appendage on specialized seeds, known as an elaiosome, and in doing so, they disperse the seeds. Many plants that rely on this method, such as violets, primroses, and anemones, are herbaceous species found in northern forests. Some tropical plants, called myrmecophytes, have evolved to provide shelter or food for ants in a symbiotic relationship. These plants may attract ants with nectar from extrafloral nectaries, which are glands on vegetative parts of the plant. In return, the ants can protect the plant from herbivores or competing vegetation.345