Ants: Earth’s Oldest Farmers Cultivate Fungi for Food

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Farmer Ant

Ants may be the oldest farmers on Earth. Fungi thrived after the Cretaceous mass extinction, and ants capitalized with agriculture.

• Most ant species work with one specific fungus strain

• Leafcutter ants feed leaves to fungi

• Then harvest fungal growths for food

Other ants have similarly specialized farming techniques that co-evolved with fungal species. Researchers are building out gene libraries in hopes of defining exactly which genetic traits correspond between farmer and crop. Unbeleafable.

How many ants does it take to drive a tractor?

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