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Story summary
- Researchers from Penn State and SUNY found ants collect oak galls and transport them to nests in New York forests.
- The galls bear a fatty “kapéllo” cap that mimics seed elaiosomes, prompting ants to treat them as food and remove them as readily as bloodroot seeds.
- Laboratory analysis identified identical fatty acids in the kapéllo cap, suggesting that nest placement may protect wasp larvae from predators, parasites and fungal infection.
