Relevance To Sociobiology
By simply observing the stem of one H. physophora individual, we see the complex interactions between 4 different species: an ant, a plant, a fungus, and an assassin bug, as well as all of the prey that lands on the plant. The plant gives a little of its own resources to the predators, but it gets two forms of defense against herbivores and parasitic plants. To the plant, this defense is worth much more than the loss of some food. The plant has maximized its own fitness by establishing two separate and independent relationships that are not very costly but very rewarding. The insects both benefit as well, given a safe habitat and a steady food supply of other insects that land on the prey. In the perspective of A. decemarticulatus, they do not actively give any of their own resources to the plant or to the assassin bug. They simply live among them, use their resources, and hunt.
In regards to the predatory behavior or A. decemarticulatus, Similar behaviors have been observed in other ant species, such as symbioses with plants (like in Pseudomyrmex ferruginea), cultivating a fungus (like in leafcutter ants), and sneaking up to and ambushing larger prey (like in Azteca Andreae, another species studied by Dejean). However, most remarkably, Allomerus decemarticulatus seems to incorporate each of these advanced behaviors to make a powerful apparatus for tricking impressively large prey.
Read more about this topic: Allomerus Decemarticulatus
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