How many ants are there in the world?
The research team of the University of Hong Kong recently published a research report, estimating that there are 20,000,000,000,000,000 ants in the world, that is, at least 20,000 ants. In terms of weight, it has exceeded the sum of all wild birds and mammals. It can also be converted into human biomass (Biomass). 20%.
The research results have been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
The University of Hong Kong launched a global ant census, and it is estimated that at least 20,000 trillion ants dominate the global ecosystem.
(Photo provided by HKU)
A team from the Laboratory of Insect Biodiversity and Biogeography of the School of Biological Sciences at HKU tried to count all the ants on the planet using a new method.
Studies have shown that this total number is very large and will help further study the abundance patterns of ants and conserve global ecosystems and species.
In 2019, the research team of Dr. Guan Nader, assistant professor of the School of Biological Sciences of HKU, discovered a new ant species:
Decades of examining global ant colonies
Dr Patrick SCHULTHEISS, the first author of the paper and a former postdoctoral researcher at the School of Biological Sciences at HKU, said that for decades, ant researchers have been working hard to examine ant colonies around the world, and then they have collected thousands of ant samples to identify them one by one. Publishing the results in different academic journals made it possible to compile data from nearly 500 studies from various countries and written in different languages, and in this way quantify the density of ants around the globe, while estimating the total number of ants on the planet.
Famous biologists Bert Hölldobler and Edward O. Wilson both estimated the number of ants, and the number is about 10 to the 15th power to 10 to the 16th power. A globally representative dataset, so these estimates are inaccurate, and in this study, the team estimated the total number of ants on Earth to be about 2 to 20 times larger than previous estimates.
The University of Hong Kong launched a global ant census, and it is estimated that at least 20,000 trillion ants dominate the global ecosystem.
(file picture)
20,000 trillion is equal to 20% of human biomass
Dr. Sabine NOOTEN, the co-first author of the paper and a former postdoctoral researcher at the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Hong Kong, said that the estimated number of ants in the world is about 20 x 10 to the 15th power, that is, 20 plus 15 zeros. All ants weigh more than all wild birds and mammals combined, or about 20 percent of the biomass of humans.
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Dr Nooten added that the study found that ants are unevenly distributed across the global land surface, with tropical regions generally having more ants than non-tropical regions, but this also depends on the local ecosystem.
Ant populations are also very abundant in forests and dry areas, and less common in man-made habitats (national parks, zoos, bird sanctuaries, etc.).
Ant colonies are unevenly distributed, giving them a potential impact on roles that the ecosystem could otherwise perform (e.g. decomposition, pest control).
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