"The oldest known ant colonies engaged in this agricultural practice date back a staggering 66 million years, to the time of a catastrophic asteroid impact that caused a global mass extinction."
Ants began farming fungi millions of years before humans even existed. The oldest known ant colonies engaged in this agricultural practice date back a staggering 66 million years, to the time of a catastrophic asteroid impact that caused a global mass extinction. The symbiotic relationship between ants and fungi dates back to the end of the Cretaceous period. While the asteroid impact was disastrous for many organisms, it proved to be a boon for fungi, which proliferated as they consumed the abundant dead plant material.
Innovative ants seized this opportunity, cultivating the fungi and forming a symbiotic relationship that has endured for millions of years. This evolutionary partnership is particularly remarkable considering that humans didn't begin farming crops until thousands of years later. The study, published in the journal Science, analyzed genetic data from hundreds of species of fungi and ants to construct detailed evolutionary trees. By comparing these trees, scientists were able to create a timeline of ant agriculture and pinpoint the exact moment when ants first began cultivating fungi.
Nearly 250 different species of ants in the Americas and Caribbean engage in fungus farming, each with its unique cultivation strategies. Leafcutter ants, for instance, employ a sophisticated method known as higher agriculture. They harvest fresh vegetation to nourish their fungi, which in turn produce food for the ants. This intricate system supports complex ant colonies that can number in the millions.
By domesticating fungi, ants demonstrated an extraordinary ability to adapt to changing conditions and secure a reliable food source. Over time, the ants and fungi became increasingly intertwined, leading to the development of higher agriculture. This advanced practice emerged approximately 27 million years ago, coinciding with a period of climate change that transformed environments around the globe.
Their ancient agricultural practices offer lessons for modern humans as we grapple with the challenges of sustainable agriculture.
References:
Schultz TR, Sosa-Calvo J, Kweskin MP, Lloyd MW, Dentinger B, Kooij PW, Vellinga EC, Rehner SA, Rodrigues A, Montoya QV, Fernández-Marín H, Ješovnik A, Niskanen T, Liimatainen K, Leal-Dutra CA, Solomon SE, Gerardo NM, Currie CR, Bacci M Jr, Vasconcelos HL, Rabeling C, Faircloth BC, Doyle VP. The coevolution of fungus-ant agriculture. Science. 2024 Oct 4;386(6717):105-110. doi: 10.1126/science.adn7179. Epub 2024 Oct 3. PMID: 39361762.
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