Backyard Clue Reveals Wasps Hijacking Ants to Move Oak Galls
An 8-year-old’s backyard find of oak galls revealed a new twist on seed dispersal: the galls produce a detachable cap, called kapéllo, that emits fatty-acid signals identical to plant elaiosomes, luring ants to carry the galls underground where the wasp larvae are protected; researchers say this convergent evolution shows ants, wasps, and oaks have a hidden, ecosystem-wide interaction with potential implications for nutrient and pathogen movement in forests.