The Pitcher and the Carpenter

Photograph by Christian Ziegler

The fanged pitcher plant and the carpenter ant (seen here in Borneo) have a mutualistic relationship: While the plant s pitcher stem provides a home for small ant colonies of up to 30 individuals, the ants keep the chemistry of the pitcher s liquid balanced by removing large insects that have found their way inside. If the insects were to rot in the liquid, it would spoil.