An evolutionary study published Tuesday in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society: B traced the origins of ant agriculture to the K-T event. Biologists divide farming ants into two broad groups: “lower” and “higher” fungus farmers. (Mahnaz Rezaie/The Washington Post)“In lower ant agriculture, the ants are obligate symbiotes — they have to grow fungus to survive. But the fungi,” Schultz said, “they are perfectly capable of living without the ants.” For higher ant agriculture, neither the ants nor the crops can live without each other. “That really changes the way we think about the history of ant farming.”The movement into savannas changed the future of ant farming.

Source: Washington Post April 12, 2017 00:00 UTC