The interactions between ants and certain sap-feeding insects in the order Hemiptera are classic examples of food-for-protection mutualisms. In these associations, herbivorous hemipterans use a highly specialized, straw-like mouthpart to consume sap directly from plant phloem and xylem and, as a result, excrete a sugar-rich waste product called honeydew. Ant foragers use specialized adaptations to collect and share honeydew with nestmates and, in exchange, protect hemipterans against predators. The two key innovations underlying this interaction—hemipteran sap feeding and ant harvesting of honeydew—have driven the evolutionary success and ecological dominance of ants. These interactions also carry unique costs and benefits for each partner and are highly context dependent. Understanding the factors mediating this mutualism is critical, as these interactions have broader ecological consequences for the natural and agricultural ecosystems in which they are embedded.

中文翻译：

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蚂蚁与产蜜半翅目昆虫相互作用的进化和生态学

蚂蚁和半翅目某些以汁液为食的昆虫之间的相互作用是食物保护互利共生的典型例子。在这些关联中，草食性半翅目动物使用高度特化的稻草状口器直接消耗植物韧皮部和木质部的汁液，从而排出一种富含糖的废物，称为蜜露。蚂蚁觅食者利用特殊的适应性来收集蜜露并与巢友分享，作为交换，保护半翅目动物免受捕食者的侵害。这种相互作用背后的两个关键创新——半翅类树液喂养和蚂蚁收获蜜露——推动了蚂蚁的进化成功和生态优势。这些互动还为每个合作伙伴带来独特的成本和收益，并且高度依赖于环境。了解调节这种互利共生的因素至关重要，因为这些相互作用对其所在的自然和农业生态系统产生更广泛的生态影响。