Are Ants The Cheapest Gardeners On Earth?
- 4 years ago
If you appreciate spring wildflowers like trilliums, bloodroot, or violets, restrain yourself the next time you're tempted to step on an ant.
That's because according to Science Magazine, many spring wildflowers in eastern North America bloom thanks to these energetic picnic invaders.
The tiny six-legged gardeners have partnered with those plants, as well as about 11,000 others, to disperse their seeds.
The plants, in turn, “pay” for the service by attaching a calorie-laden appendage to each seed.
According to Science Magazine, it's much like the fleshy fruits produced by birds and mammals that discard seeds or excrete them.
Not only that, but aphaenogaster ants also disperse up to 70% of seeds in deciduous forests.
But researchers say ants are picky about which seeds they 'work' with. Seeds they don't like will be left to rot, which impacts the ecology.
That's because according to Science Magazine, many spring wildflowers in eastern North America bloom thanks to these energetic picnic invaders.
The tiny six-legged gardeners have partnered with those plants, as well as about 11,000 others, to disperse their seeds.
The plants, in turn, “pay” for the service by attaching a calorie-laden appendage to each seed.
According to Science Magazine, it's much like the fleshy fruits produced by birds and mammals that discard seeds or excrete them.
Not only that, but aphaenogaster ants also disperse up to 70% of seeds in deciduous forests.
But researchers say ants are picky about which seeds they 'work' with. Seeds they don't like will be left to rot, which impacts the ecology.