Are Ants Good For the Environment?
WouterAmong the most effective pest controllers are ants. These are useful for both agriculture and forest pest control. They also serve as ecosystem engineers, influencing important processes such as seed dispersal and nutrient cycling.
These insects have been around for 3 million years. They are a key part of the ecosystem, with ants living on every continent except Antarctica. They play an important role in decomposition of plant and animal matter. They also aid in nutrient cycling and soil aeration.
Among the most effective pest controllers are fire ants. They can kill sugarcane borers, army caterpillars, corn worms, cotton flea hoppers, and soybean worms. They also aerate soil, which helps in crop production.
Another species of ant, the weaver ant, creates a ball-shaped nest from larval silk. It also protects cashew and mango trees.
Fire ants are particularly good at pest control in farm fields. They help in killing costly agricultural pests. They also aerate the soil and improve water availability.
Another species of ant, the harvester ant, eats pests that harm crops. They store seeds in mounds and toss sprouted seeds into rubbish heaps around the mound. This helps protect seeds from being stolen by other insects. They also help reduce the population of other pests.
Scientists are now looking to ants to gauge ecological restoration efforts. In Brazil, for instance, ants are changing dramatically. Their abundance is low and their diversity is higher. These changes indicate that the ecosystem is counterbalancing predation.
