How much do all the ants in the world weigh?

The weight of an ant is an absolute insignificance. Not even having a dozen of them on us would we notice it. But, How many are there and how much do all the ants in the world weigh together? Science has answered this question. as collected a new studyon Earth there are approximately 20 quadrillion ants, that is, 20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 of insects

They are a family of eusocial insects that, like wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. They evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous, between 110 and 130 million years ago, diversifying after the spread of flowering plants around the world.

“The ants of the world collectively constitute about 12 million tons of dry carbon. This exceeds the mass of all the world’s wild birds and mammals combined. It is also equal to about a fifth of the total weight of humans.”say the authors.

Ant abundance studies

To reach these conclusions, the researchers conducted “ant abundance surveys in many environments to make estimates of tree-dwelling and ground-dwelling ants present in almost all important terrestrial ecosystems».

Although we tend to imagine ants on the ground, it is not their main habitat. the ants that they live in the trees they outnumber those living on the ground approximately six to one. Furthermore, taking into account the diversity of weights, the researchers conclude that the dry carbon in those quadrillions adds up to about 12 megatons.

“It is estimated that excavate up to 13 tons of soil per hectare per year and increase the local availability of nutrients by an order of magnitude, but they constitute only 1.2% of terrestrial species, and represent at least 6% of the biomass»they concluded.

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Reference article: https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/5063242/0/ciencia-revela-cuanto-pesan-todas-hormigas-mundo/