Why Can’t We Live Without Ants?
WouterUnlike humans, ants are extremely social animals. A single colony is composed of over 20 million ants. The ants work together as a superorganism to accomplish amazing feats.
Among the many jobs that ants do is break up and decompose organic matter. This is crucial to the health of the soil. Ants also aerate the soil and carry seeds from place to place.
Scientists have estimated that 20,000 species of ants exist on Earth. They are found in almost every continent, except Antarctica. Some ants focus on raiding other nests, while others are focused on foraging for plants.
Ants are considered the most industrious insects on Earth. They carry seeds from place to place and help decompose dead animals. They are also very effective at pest control in farm fields. Some ants also have complex social societies.
Ants have been around for 160 million years. They have survived many catastrophes. They also have co-evolved with other species. Some of these relationships include parasitic relationships. They have also evolved mimetic relationships.
Ants are very hard to live without. The carrying capacity of an area is the number of individuals that can be sustained. Ant colonies work together to provide for the entire colony.
Scientists estimate that the total biomass of all ants on Earth is about 20,000,000,000,000. This is two to twenty times higher than previous estimates. This estimate is based on research done across all continents.
Some scientists have estimated that there are still another 12,000 species of ants on Earth.
