{"id":21036,"date":"2022-10-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-19T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/?post_type=purple_issue&#038;p=21036"},"modified":"2022-10-21T12:02:42","modified_gmt":"2022-10-21T10:02:42","slug":"boys-find-leads-to-new-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/2022\/10\/20\/boys-find-leads-to-new-study\/","title":{"rendered":"Boy\u2019s find leads to new study"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center sans-serif intro\">Garden discovery reveals a link between oak trees, gall wasps and ants <\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"no-tts wp-block-image size-large article-in-image photo\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1016\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/10\/Layer-10-1024x1016.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-21437\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/10\/Layer-10-1024x1016.png 1024w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/10\/Layer-10-300x298.png 300w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/10\/Layer-10-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/10\/Layer-10-768x762.png 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/10\/Layer-10-1536x1523.png 1536w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/10\/Layer-10.png 1821w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Oak galls found by Hugo (inset) have a cap that ants love to eat <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif dropcap\">WHEN HUGO DEANS POINTED OUT some seed-like objects near an ant nest, his father, Andrew, recognised them as oak galls \u2013 plant growths triggered by insects. \u201cI was surprised that ants would collect galls,\u201d says Hugo, now aged 10. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">When certain wasps lay eggs in an oak leaf, the tree surrounds them with hardcased galls, protecting the leaf and sheltering the wasp larvae. Some flowering plants also make edible growths \u2013 through eating them, ants help to disperse their seeds.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"> A \u201cmind-blowing\u201d new link between these occurences has now been made by Andrew Deans and colleagues at Pennsylvania State University: the gall wasp stimulates an oak tree to make a gall, but with a cap that ants love to eat. The galls drop, are harvested by ants and taken to their nest, where the wasp larvae may get extra protection. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"sans-serif article-byline\"><strong>Kenny Taylor <\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"footer\">Photos: HUGO: HEATHER HINES; ANT: ANDREW DEANS\/PENN STATE<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Garden discovery reveals a link between oak trees, gall wasps and ants <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":21438,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","purple_page_number":"21","purple_custom_meta_purple_page_number":"21","purple_seq_number":"1","purple_custom_meta_purple_seq_number":"1","purple_source_article":"article_21-1.xml","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_article":"article_21-1.xml","purple_source_issue":"November-2022","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_issue":"November-2022","purple_external_id":"November-2022-21-1","purple_custom_meta_purple_external_id":"November-2022-21-1","purple_issue_code":"|0000087237||","purple_custom_meta_purple_issue_code":"|0000087237||","purple_android_product":"com.im.wildlife.497","purple_custom_meta_purple_android_product":"com.im.wildlife.497","purple_ios_product":"com.im.wildlife.497","purple_custom_meta_purple_ios_product":"com.im.wildlife.497","purple_web_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_web_product":"","purple_publication_id":"58d61955-0ac4-406c-83f1-ab6f21d86b70","purple_migrated":"","kt_blocks_editor_width":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2022-10-20T08:58:18Z","apple_news_article-theme":"","apple_news_api_id":"eb6cbd97-5e97-42c6-8761-5c7abfc3cb7f","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2022-10-21T10:02:47Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAw==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/A62y9l16XQsaHYVx6v8PLfw","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_article_theme":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\""},"categories":[25],"tags":[14],"apple_news_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2022\/10\/Aphaenogaster-ant-with-gall_Andrew-Deans_Penn-State_cmyk.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"< 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discovery reveals a link between oak trees, gall wasps and 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