Talk:Myrmecochory

Image needed
If anyone has an image of an ant carrying a seed with an elaiosome it would greatly appreciated. Some exist online, but I am unsure of the copyrights of those images. Quinzer (talk) 05:17, 12 January 2009 (UTC)


 * I also went looking for such a thing and came up empty. Will keep looking! Xenetik (talk) 20:54, 11 May 2011 (UTC)

Stick insect eggs
The line mentioning possible mimicry in stick insect eggs is interesting but ultimately trivial to a write-up about myrmecochory, an ant-plant interaction. This content is more appropriate for the stick insect entry itself, and, in fact, you will already find it there under stick insect life cycle. If another editor chooses to revert this change I suggest putting it under its own heading; it did not make any sense having it under "nature of the interaction" which, of course, refers to the relationship between ants and plants, not ants and other insects mimicking plant diaspores. Xenetik (talk) 20:54, 11 May 2011 (UTC)
 * It seemed worthy of mention and was restored as it did not appear like it had been removed consciously. Since the situation seems to have evolved independently and more of an example of convergence, it seems to be contrary to the suggestion by Compton and Ware who make the comparison with myrmecochory (and further note the survival value in the fireprone fynbos), but I am unable to find a suitable reference examining this in greater depth. I would not protest if you insisted on its removal but if you can place it in a better context, it would certainly be appreciated. The article is a lot better than the version produced by the last set of ecology students who insisted on beginning the article with the use of "syndrome"! A truly trivial titbit would be of the hypothesis that myrmecochory has been suggested (in the 1920s!) was involved in the origin of ant-fungus mutualisms. Shyamal (talk) 10:53, 13 May 2011 (UTC)

Assessment comment
Substituted at 03:16, 3 May 2016 (UTC)

Invalid logic in section called "Evolutionary history"
This statement is not logically rigorous:

"In addition, phylogenetic comparison of myrmecochorous plant groups reveal that more than half of the lineages in which myrmecochory evolved are more species rich than their non-myrmecochorous sister groups. Not only is myrmecochory a convergent trait, but it also promotes diversification in multiple flowering plants lineages.[4]"

The faulty logic is this: More diverse taxa have more species, and therefore more opportunity to give rise to lineages featuring myrmecochory. Which is to say, we don't really know whether widespread myrmecophory is a cause or an effect of plant diversity.

In fact, on theoretical grounds, one could argue that myrmecophory might decrease diversity. If it contributes to efficient seed dispersal, this could make it harder for plant populations to be genetically isolated from each other, thus decreasing the chances of allopatric speciation.

Mmmeiss (talk) 15:20, 17 May 2017 (UTC)