Animals that farm other species
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Animals That Farm Other Species — Daily trivia Wednesday, March 18, 2026: questions and answers
All 10 questions with answers and explanations. Play this daily
Q 01Which substance do aphids release when ants 'milk' them by stroking them with their antennae?
- ANectar
- BSap
- CHoneydew
- DResin
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Honeydew
Aphids excrete a sugar-rich sticky liquid called honeydew when stroked by ants' antennae. This is the primary reward ants receive for tending and protecting aphid colonies.
Q 02Longfin damselfish in Belize were found guarding swarms of which tiny animal inside their reef farms?
- AMysid shrimp
- BCleaner wrasse
- CJuvenile sea urchins
- DCopepods
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Mysid shrimp
Mysid shrimp. Their waste fertilises the damselfish's farm, and damselfish that host mysid swarms are in better body condition than those without.
Q 03Instead of eating them, what do leafcutter ants use the leaves they carry home for?
- AInsulating the nest
- BGrowing fungus
- CBuilding walls
- DAbsorbing moisture
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Growing fungus
Growing fungus. The chewed leaves feed an underground fungus garden that in turn feeds the larvae, while the adult ants mostly drink leaf sap.
Q 04What tactic do some ant species use to prevent their farmed aphids from flying away?
- ABiting off their wings
- BGluing them to stems with saliva
- CCovering them with soil
- DWrapping them in silk
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Biting off their wings
Biting off their wings. Ants also use chemicals that slow the aphids' walking and reduce how many grow wings, which keeps more honeydew producers close by.
Q 05What do damselfish cultivate in the "gardens" they aggressively maintain on coral reefs?
- ACoral polyps
- BTurf algae
- CSponges
- DSea anemones
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Turf algae
Damselfish of the genus Stegastes cultivate and defend patches of turf algae, weeding out undesirable species and chasing away other herbivorous fish that might graze on their gardens.
Q 06How does the marsh periwinkle snail cultivate its food?
- AIt wounds cordgrass to grow fungus on the cuts
- BIt builds mud traps to catch plankton
- CIt arranges seaweed into underwater beds
- DIt deposits sand to attract diatoms
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It wounds cordgrass to grow fungus on the cuts
It wounds cordgrass to grow fungus on the cuts, then fertilises the fungus with nitrogen-rich droppings, a rare case of fungus farming outside the insects.
Q 07Why do ambrosia beetles bore tunnels into trees whose wood they don't eat?
- ATo drink the tree's sap
- BTo trap smaller insects as prey
- CTo store collected nectar
- DTo create galleries for farming fungus
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To create galleries for farming fungus
They create galleries for farming fungus: the beetles push the sawdust out, eat the fungus growing on the tunnel walls and carry its spores to new trees in pouches called mycangia.
Q 08Why do yeti crabs rhythmically wave their hairy front limbs through chemical-rich seep water?
- ATo attract mates with visual displays
- BTo filter food particles from the water
- CTo feed bacteria growing on their claws
- DTo regulate their body temperature
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To feed bacteria growing on their claws
To feed bacteria growing on their claws: the waving stirs methane- and sulfide-rich water past the bacteria on the claw hairs, and the crabs then eat them.
Q 09Which fungus genus, farmed by insects inside their mounds, produces mushrooms prized as food in Africa?
- ATermitomyces
- BAgaricus
- CPleurotus
- DCordyceps
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Termitomyces
Termitomyces. Termites grow it on partly digested plant matter in their mounds, and its species Termitomyces titanicus has a cap that can reach a metre across.
Q 10What is the parasitic fungus that attacks leafcutter ants' gardens called?
- ABeauveria
- BMetarhizium
- CAspergillus
- DEscovopsis
Show answer
Escovopsis
Escovopsis is a necrotrophic parasitic fungus that specifically targets the fungal gardens of leafcutter ants. Workers combat it by grooming infected areas and physically removing contaminated sections of the garden.
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