What Humanity Can Learn From Leafcutter Ants

#ants #civilization #monoculture
Over a period of a mere 10,000 years, the world has changed drastically as humanity has built larger and larger societies. Using the domestication of other organisms to leave behind hunting and gathering, humans entered an age of agriculture which has feed great cities and fueled the growth of technology. Humanity, however, is new to the game of agriculture and large societies. Other inhabitants of this planet have been doing it for far longer. Leafcutter ants form colonies that are some of the largest and most complex insect societies in the world. These ants are called leaf cutters because they cut pieces of leaves off of plants with their powerful mandibles, easily sawing through the cellulose. Leafcutter ants are major herbivores in Neotropical ecosystems, taking 17% of the total plant biomass to their nest, where they use them to grow a special fungus. Like any monoculture other organisms try to attack and invade and these ants use both mechanical and chemical methods to protect their food source.

Sources
Aylward, F. O., Currie, C. R., & Suen, G. (2012). The Evolutionary Innovation of Nutritional Symbioses in Leaf-Cutter Ants. Insects, 3(1), 41–61. doi: 10.3390/insects3010041

This is Backyard Expeditions. Here you can find wildlife footage and short documentaries on the natural world. Nature is full of surprises, often amazing things are happening just feet from you door. I am a biology student who was inspired by the likes of the BBC natural history unit, PBS, and animal planet as a Child. I have also long been a hobbyist photographer, filming interesting things over time. My goal is to document interesting behavior and highlight interesting species I encounter both in exotic locations, and on backyard expeditions.

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Wow, there is so much to learn in here. They produce antimicrobial and antifungal chemicals in their BODIES? But that means if a fungus out-evolves them they lose food. I guess that's why they are so fastidious in using physical fungus control, because then they can use chemical controls as a targeted backup.
ALSO, you don't have to look it up if you don't know, but that fungus must be domesticated, right? Like it has genetically diverged from its parent species and requires ant intervention to propagate.
Great footage, great concept. I learned a lot. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!