ABSTRACT
Ants are generally regarded as terrestrial, social insects, which have as little to do with water as possible. However, ants have some amazing habits and abilities, which are seldom reported and poorly understood. Among these are two species of ant that behave differently from what would be considered typical behavior of ants. Almost immediately after the water begins to fill the wetland, emergent aquatic plants begin to grow. These plants continue to grow, flower, and produce seeds while the water covers the floodplain and then die off and are replaced by short-lived terrestrial plants after the water flows slowly away during the dry season. Bromeliads themselves and other plants capable of catching rainwater and storing it are involved in large and highly complex associations of species ranging from prokaryotic organisms through vertebrates and encompassing many insects belonging to diverse orders. The greater biotic community that encompasses the species from phytotelm forms a broad and diverse network extending throughout Neotropical forests.
