Ants are Awesome
Ants are everywhere! They often march into our kitchens, spoil our picnics or give people a reason to cringe. Consequently, ants are often looked down upon. Most people do not realize the majority of the 12,000 known species of ants are vital to most ecosystems, including ours. Ants play a number of important jobs that keep our environment healthy.
Did you know?
Ants enrich and turn more soil than earthworms.
Disperse seeds of an estimated 30% of all herbaceous (non-woody) plants.
Are the primary predators of other insects.
(A single colony of ants can consume as many as 10 million insects per year. Less bugs to bug you!)
Ants an important food source for many animals from woodpeckers to bears.
Ants make up 10% to 15% of the world's animal biomass!
(If we could weigh all the humans in the world and weigh all the ants in the world – they would weigh roughly the same.)
Ants are a model organism for many scientific fields.
(Ants are social insects that are excellent models for the study of cooperation and conflict in nature. By studying insect societies, researchers can better assess the various degrees of complexity of biological social systems. Ants have led to important advancements in the study of evolution, sociology and medicine.)
Ants are also very beautiful and interesting to look at
(www.antweb.org)
(www.myrmecos.net/)
The research I did involved ants that live in urban environments. In 2007, for the first time in human history, the amount of people living in urban (cities and their suburbs) areas surpassed 50% of the total world population! Because more and more people are living in urban environments, this leaves less room for the plants and animals that also live "or lived" in these urban areas.
I am curious about what ant species live in the city of San Francisco (over 26 different species documented), what habitats they prefer (big parks, small parks; forested areas, non-forested areas, etc.), and what impact the invasive Argentine Ant is having on native ant populations.
If you are interested in reading my publication: (I can also send it to you)
Clarke K.M., Fisher B.L., LeBuhn G. 2008. The Influence of Urban Park Characteristics on Ant (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) Communities. Urban Ecosystems 3, pp. 317-334.
Without Ants, We are Nothing....
Bert Holldobler, a famous biologist, sums up the importance of ants best, “The very nature of our planet without ants would be very different than a world without humans. Without humans, culture, art, and music would vanish. But nature would recover,” he says. “Without ants, however, the Earth would lose one of its most integrated and useful life forms. The planet would be significantly altered. Many natural habitats would go extinct, including many of the plant and animal species living today.”
