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https://theconversation.com/earth-harbours-20-000-000-000-000-000-ants-and-they-weigh-more-than-wild-birds-and-mammals-combined-190831>
"Have you ever wondered exactly how many ants live on Earth? Possibly not, but
it’s certainly a question we’ve asked ourselves.
Our research published today provides an approximate answer. We conservatively
estimate our planet harbours about 20 quadrillion ants. That’s 20 thousand
million millions, or in numerical form, 20,000,000,000,000,000 (20 with 15
zeroes).
We further estimate the world’s ants collectively constitute about 12 million
tonnes of dry carbon. This exceeds the mass of all the world’s wild birds and
wild mammals combined. It’s also equal to about one-fifth of the total weight
of humans.
Eminent biologist Edward O. Wilson once said insects and other invertebrates
are “the little things that run the world” – and he was right. Ants, in
particular, are a crucial part of nature. Among other roles, ants aerate the
soil, disperse seeds, break down organic material, create habitat for other
animals and form an important part of the food chain.
Estimating ant numbers and mass provides an important baseline from which to
monitor ant populations amid worrying environmental changes."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
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mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
