When a huge asteroid hit Earth 66 million years ago, it wiped out the dinosaurs and drastically changed the planet.
While the disaster caused plants and animals to die in massive numbers, it also created a new opportunity for ants to become some of the earliest farmers on Earth, millions of years before humans.
The asteroid impact led to a low-light environment where fungi, which feed on dead plants and animals, could thrive.
These conditions were perfect for a group of ants to start farming fungi for food, according to a study published in the journal Science.
Researchers discovered that certain ants began cultivating fungi during this time, marking the beginning of “ant agriculture.”
The scientists traced the timeline of these ants by studying the genomes of 475 different species of fungi that ants farm today.
They looked at ultraconserved elements (UCEs) in the genomes, which are ancient regions that don’t change much over time. By analyzing the areas around these UCEs, scientists were able to create a detailed timeline of how these fungi evolved alongside the ants.
They found that two types of fungi, now farmed by modern leafcutter ants, appeared almost simultaneously after the asteroid impact, around 66 million years ago.
These ants, called Attini, began a mutual relationship with the fungi, where the ants relied on the fungi for food, and the fungi depended on the ants for reproduction and survival.
This relationship, called “mutualism,” was a key adaptation that allowed both the ants and the fungi to thrive during difficult times when other food sources were scarce.
The fungi broke down organic matter that the ants carried back to their nests, and in return, the ants ate the nutrients the fungi produced.
This partnership became so strong that the ants couldn’t survive without the fungi, and vice versa.
Interestingly, the study also revealed that a different kind of fungus, known as coral fungi, began being cultivated by ants about 21 million years ago. Coral fungi are named for their appearance, which looks like tiny coral reefs.
As time went on, ants farming fungi became more efficient. For example, the leafcutter ants learned how to change the fungi’s growth patterns to make them produce sugar-rich structures, which the ants could eat.
Scientists are still unsure exactly how the ants do this.
This early form of agriculture was vital for the ants’ survival, especially when the landscape changed again around 27 million years ago. With the spread of more open, dry areas like the Cerrado savanna, the ants adapted and continued to evolve as farmers.
Today, the fungi cultivated by ants are not only important for their survival but are also being studied for their potential to help humans. The enzymes produced by these fungi are being researched to see if they can break down materials like plastics, offering new possibilities for environmental solutions.
This ancient ant-fungi partnership shows how life on Earth can adapt in unexpected ways, even in the face of massive disasters.
Source: KSR.
