The New Ant Census May Help Scientists Better Understand How Ants Are There in the World
WouterUntil now, no one knew exactly how many ants exist on Earth. The new ant census, though, will help scientists better understand how ants are there in the world and how they are responding to changing environmental conditions. It also may help researchers track the impacts of climate change.
The ant is a good example of a “superorganism” because ants are organized into colonies that function as a single unit. Each colony consists of hundreds or thousands of workers. They go out to find food, and then bring back what they found to the nest for the queen and future workers.
The average ant is no more than a few centimeters long, but it weighs more than a million kilograms. This is a lot more than the weight of all the wild mammals and birds on Earth. The number of ants is about 20 quadrillion.
While the new ant census may be a conservative estimate, scientists say it is a step in the right direction toward better understanding how ants are there in the world. It is important to keep track of these tiny animals, because they play a major role in ecosystem balance. They help to aerate the soil, a process which enables oxygen to reach the roots of plants. They also decompose organic matter.
The new study is the result of a multi-million dollar effort to assemble the world’s most comprehensive database of ant data. It involved the analysis of more than 500 studies, covering all continents, major biomes and sampling locations. It also took a whopping six years to gather the data.
