Parque Nacional del Manu Cocha Cashu myrmecophytes Hymenoptera Formicidae Cecropia animal behavior plant-animal interactions ecology Azteca ant-plant interactions Cordia nodosa Duroia hirsuta ants invertebrates insects plants trees Madre de Dios Bibliography
According to Quechua-speaking peoples, orchard-like stands ('Supay Chacras') of two Amazonian ant-plant species are cultivated by the devil, or 'Chuyachaqui'. These 'devil gardens' offer extreme examples of specializations that have evolved repeatedly in ant-plant associations. Numerous investigations are beginning to disclose the identity of the Chuyachaqui - the forces behind evolutionary specialization in ant-plant symbioses. These developments have important implications for our understanding of modes of coevolution in symbiotic mutualism, remarkable convergent similarities in the form of ant-plant symbioses on different continents, and pronounced intercontinental differences in the diversity and taxonomic composition of associates.