Pollination by Ants: A Low-Energy System

Abstract

Polygonum cascadense, a small, apparently self-incompatible, annual plant, is regularly cross-pollinated by the ant Formica argentea. Comparison of other purported ant-pollinated plants with traits favoring such pollination suggests that some, but not all, may be ant pollinated. Ant-pollination interactions are characterized by low expenditure of energy by both ant and plant.