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E-Letter responses to:

reports:
Todd M. Palmer, Maureen L. Stanton, Truman P. Young, Jacob R. Goheen, Robert M. Pringle, and Richard Karban
Breakdown of an Ant-Plant Mutualism Follows the Loss of Large Herbivores from an African Savanna
Science 2008; 319: 192-195 [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]
*E-Letters: Submit a response to this article

Published E-Letter responses:

[Read E-Letter] Nature's Vast Mesher
Eugene Blank   (6 March 2008)

Nature's Vast Mesher 6 March 2008
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Eugene Blank

Respond to this E-Letter:
Re: Nature's Vast Mesher

Ant, elephant, and acacia tree,

They depend on each other to survive,

Ants drive away leaf-eating enemy;

Together ant and acacia thrive.

Take away the tree's browsing elephant,

Acacia needs not its protector.

Tree is home no longer, its nectar scant.

When ant leaves, in comes a new burrower-

Chance discovers unknown dependency

In clay soil of East Africa.

One more sighting by serendipity

Adds to ecological formula.

Ants' host tree changes with browsing pressure,

An example of nature's vast mesher.

Eugene Blank

Portland, Oregon, USA.

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)