Wasps have begun to disrupt the alliance between plants and ants that has existed for millions of years

Simply put, there is an "outsider" in this system who is breaking everything.

Details

Some tropical plants literally "build houses" for ants.

They create cavities inside the stems and provide the ants with food. In return, the ants protect the plant from pests.

But now these "homes" are increasingly occupied by wasps.

They use them in their own way:

• they bring in the insects they catch
• paralysing them
  and leave them there as food for their larvae

Scientists have noticed that where wasps appear, there are fewer ants.

This happens most often in places where nature is already disturbed - such as plantations.

Why it matters

Without ants, plants are left unprotected.

This can lead to:

• plants are more likely to be damaged by insects
• they grow less well
  it becomes harder for forests to regenerate

Such changes can affect an entire ecosystem, not just one species.

Background

The alliance between plants and ants is one of the best-known examples of 'co-operation' in nature. It has existed for millions of years and helps both sides survive.

Source

The study is published in the journal PeerJ (2026). Scientists studied tropical plants in Malaysia.