''Duroia hirsuta'' is a
myrmecophyte
Myrmecophytes (; literally "ant-plant") are plants that live in a mutualistic association with a colony of ants. There are over 100 different genera of myrmecophytes. These plants possess structural adaptations that provide ants with food and/o ...
tree species from the
Amazon Forest
The Amazon rainforest, Amazon jungle or ; es, Selva amazónica, , or usually ; french: Forêt amazonienne; nl, Amazoneregenwoud. In English, the names are sometimes capitalized further, as Amazon Rainforest, Amazon Forest, or Amazon Jungle. ...
. It is one of some 37 species of ''
Duroia
''Duroia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. The genus is found from Costa Rica to tropical South America.
Ecology
A number of ''Duroia'' species, and possibly all, are capable of biochemical interactions inhibiting the ...
,'' which are shrubs or canopy trees in the family
Rubiaceae
The Rubiaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with interpetiolar stipules ...
, favouring ants (
myrmecophilous
Myrmecophily ( , ) is the term applied to positive interspecies associations between ants and a variety of other organisms, such as plants, other arthropods, and fungi. Myrmecophily refers to mutualistic associations with ants, though in its ...
), and occurring in
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
as far north as
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, the
Amazon Basin
The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...
, the
Guiana Shield
The Guiana Shield (french: Plateau des Guyanes, Bouclier guyanais; nl, Hoogland van Guyana, Guianaschild; pt, Planalto das Guianas, Escudo das Guianas; es, Escudo guayanés) is one of the three cratons of the South American Plate. It is a ...
, the Brazilian Atlantic coast and
planalto.
A number of ''Duroia'' species, and possibly all, are capable of biochemical interactions inhibiting the growth of neighbouring plants. Analysis of root extracts from ''Duroia hirsuta'' have yielded a strong plant growth inhibitor plumericin, a
tetracyclic
Tetracyclics are cyclic chemical compounds that contain four interconnected rings of atoms, e.g. Tröger's base.
They have various pharmaceutical
A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or s ...
iridoid
Iridoids are a type of monoterpenoids in the general form of cyclopentanopyran, found in a wide variety of plants and some animals. They are biosynthetically derived from 8-oxogeranial. Iridoids are typically found in plants as glycosides, mos ...
lactone
Lactones are cyclic carboxylic esters, containing a 1-oxacycloalkan-2-one structure (), or analogues having unsaturation or heteroatoms replacing one or more carbon atoms of the ring.
Lactones are formed by intramolecular esterification of the co ...
, and duroin, another iridoid lactone.
This process, common amongst plants, is termed
allelopathy
Allelopathy is a biological phenomenon by which an organism produces one or more biochemicals that influence the germination, growth, survival, and reproduction of other organisms. These biochemicals are known as allelochemicals and can have be ...
. In the case of ''Duroia hirsuta'', the chemical inhibitor is aided by the
Lemon Ant, a resident on and in the tree, and playing an active role in suppressing and destroying plant growth in the vicinity of their host by injecting and spraying
formic acid
Formic acid (), systematically named methanoic acid, is the simplest carboxylic acid, and has the chemical formula HCOOH and structure . It is an important intermediate in chemical synthesis and occurs naturally, most notably in some ants. Es ...
, and defending against herbivores - other ant species such as ''
Azteca'' spp. and ''Allomerus octoarticulatus demerarae'' exhibit the same
mutualism. The area around this
understory
In forestry and ecology, understory (American English), or understorey (Commonwealth English), also known as underbrush or undergrowth, includes plant life growing beneath the forest canopy without penetrating it to any great extent, but abov ...
tree is often devoid of all other plant types, leading to the local name "
Devil's garden
In myrmecology and forest ecology, a devil's garden (Kichwa: ''Supay chakra''Frederickson, M. E., & Gordon, D. (2007). The devil to pay: the cost of mutualism with ''Myrmelachista schumanni'' ants in 'devil's gardens' is increased herbivory on ' ...
." The cost to the host plant for this protection is considerable, since the resident ants subject the tree to increased leaf cutting. Trees that grow outside the cleared area often have the living tissues of their trunks excavated and
galled for ant accommodation.
References
External links
New York Botanical Garden
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1955787
Cordiereae
Plants described in 1888