Study Links Ants' Global Success to Exoskeleton Thickness and Armor Adaptations
By
marojejian
Plain bagel done well. Pleasantly substantive.
Summary
A new scientific study reveals that ants' evolutionary success and global dominance may be attributed to their exoskeleton thickness and armor variations. Researchers found that ants with thinner, more flexible exoskeletons were better adapted for diverse environments and tasks, allowing them to colonize nearly every terrestrial habitat on Earth. The study examined 3-D comparisons of lightly armored versus heavily armored ant workers, suggesting that this 'skin deep' adaptation contributed to ants becoming one of the most successful animal groups with around 20 quadrillion individuals worldwide.
Key quotes
· 5 pulledIf life is a numbers game, ants are winning. There are around 20 quadrillion individual ants on Earth (more than two million per human), representing over 15,000 species, according to one estimate.
Their omnipresence bolsters their global importance as aerators of soil, recyclers of dead matter and dispersers of seeds.
A new paper investigated one way that ants have become so successful: their exoskeleton thickness and armor variations.
The answer may be skin deep.
Researchers found that ants with thinner, more flexible exoskeletons were better adapted for diverse environments and tasks.
You might also wanna read
European Ant Species Found Cloning Males of Different Ant Species in Biological Breakthrough
A groundbreaking discovery reveals that Iberian harvester ant queens in southern Europe can produce male clones of an entirely different ant
livescience.com·8mo ago
Study suggests homing pigeons may navigate using iron-laden liver immune cells as a magnetic compass
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior tested whether homing pigeons use iron-laden immune cells in their livers as a ma
sciencenews.org·3h ago
Lynn Margulis's endosymbiotic theory: The paper rejected by 15 journals that revolutionized biology
The article tells the story of Lynn Margulis, a young biologist whose groundbreaking 1967 paper on endosymbiotic theory — proposing that com
spacedaily.com·4h ago
Study finds salt levels impact natterjack toad size and survival in Scotland
A study of Scotland's only natterjack toad colonies reveals that salt levels in their breeding sites significantly impact their size and sur
bbc.co.uk·13h ago
Newly discovered fungus could help control invasive moss threatening UK habitats
A newly discovered killer fungus species shows promise for controlling the invasive heath-star moss that threatens UK native habitats like t
bbc.co.uk·19h ago
Water-use strategy diversity and trait filtering in Bromeliaceae across coastal and inland inselbergs in the Atlantic Forest
This scientific study examines water-use strategies in Bromeliaceae plants growing on inselbergs (ancient rock outcrops) in the Atlantic For
doi.org·2d ago