How many ants live on Earth at any given time? The number is astounding, to say the least

Questions about the vastness of our world can leave us speechless. How many stars twinkle in our galaxy? How many grains of sand stretch across the Sahara? How many ants roam the Earth?

For a long time, most questions like these seemed unanswerable. Yet, as research methods evolve, and with the emergence of AI and machine learning models, scientists have begun to solve these mysteries that not long ago seemed unsolvable.

Earth seems to love ants

Because estimating insect numbers can unlock important ecosystem insights, many experts throughout history have tried to count particular insect species and map their habitats, aiming to understand why these creatures flourish in certain places but remain scarce in others.

Biologists Sabine Nooten and Patrick Schultheiss from Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg have devoted their work in this particular study to one of nature’s most resilient insects – ants.

There are about 22,000 known ant species worldwide. Their success hinges on their social structure, with certain members handling reproduction and others focusing on tasks like caring for offspring, healing the sick, or gathering food.

Ants have no commander at the helm. They rely on collective activity and swarm intelligence. Individual neurons in a human brain cannot do much on their own, yet the combined power of those neurons is amazing.

Ant colonies mirror that principle. They can create intricate trail networks, use their bodies as bridges, and “farm” fungi or aphids. Some colonies even outperform humans in certain cooperative cognition tasks.

Ant distribution and diversity on Earth

The study indicates that ants prefer tropical and subtropical climates. In forests, many nest among the leaves on the ground. In arid regions, they bustle across the exposed soil.

These details help ecologists see how temperature, vegetation, and rainfall might affect ant populations.

The team hopes to see more work done on factors shaping where ants thrive, especially as temperatures shift around the world.

With such immense numbers, ants bring both positive and negative outcomes.

They can keep ecosystems healthy by recycling nutrients, and they sometimes form alliances with plants or insects in ways that boost local biodiversity.

But not all interactions are benign. In certain places, invasive ants like fire ants harm native species.

Far-reaching influence

Ants carry soil, move seeds, and alter many parts of their surroundings. Per hectare, ants move up to 13 tons of soil mass per year, and this movement can help keep nutrients cycling.

Their love of seeds means they spread some plants far beyond the mother plant’s reach.

Scientists note that understanding the number of ants worldwide can help guide future conservation strategies, because it highlights areas that might need special attention to protect the ecological balance.

In addition to soil turnover, these insects also break down decaying materials, providing valuable services that enrich soil fertility.

Forest regeneration often benefits from the constant churning of organic matter, and ants are key contributors. Such varied roles mean they hold ecological power disproportionate to their size.

Time to count Earth’s ants

The tireless team of scientists, led by Nooten and Schultheiss, analyzed data from 489 smaller studies on ground-dwelling and tree-dwelling ants to create a large database of their global population.

This approach offered a structured look at where ants flourish and in what numbers they appear. When they crunched the numbers, they found something remarkable.

“According to our estimates, the global ant population is 20 x 10 to the power of 15 – that is, 20 quadrillion animals. That is a 20 with 15 zeros, which is hard to grasp and appreciate,” Nooten explains.

The combined mass of these insects is also astonishing.

According to Schultheiss, the total number of ants “exceeds the combined biomass of wild birds and mammals and corresponds to about 20 percent of humanity’s biomass,” a discovery that shows how vital ants can be in ecosystems everywhere.

Ants, Earth, and climate change

As climates change, scientists want to see how these creatures will shift their ranges. The research by this group was the first large-scale attempt at a quantitative overview of ant populations, and it points to many open questions about potential challenges.

While ants have thrived across continents, altering habitat structures and climate could place pressure on species that are less adaptable.

In some areas, people view ants as pests. Yet these insects, when kept in balance, offer many unseen benefits.

For instance, their tunnels can help water infiltration in soil. They also serve as prey for various animals, creating links in the food chain.

Problems usually arise when invasive ants enter habitats and drive out local species that have no defenses against them. Fire ants, for example, can upend an entire environment.

What’s left to learn?

Researchers are enthusiastic about finding methods to analyze trends, such as how temperature extremes might affect ants’ movements.

Data from global, long-term monitoring can reveal how different species cope with droughts, hurricanes, or shifting seasons. There is also interest in exploring how farmland changes ant presence over time.

Moving forward, the team underscores the importance of refining data on these insects. By revisiting ecosystems that have been studied before, experts can learn whether ants have settled in new zones or left older ones.

Such targeted work could inform farmers about pest control, point out regions at risk of invasion by harmful ant species, and guide decisions about habitat restoration.

Why does any of this matter?

Ants seldom top the list of creatures people think about. Yet they have an outsized role in shaping our surroundings.

Their ability to transform habitats, redistribute resources, and affect local biodiversity suggests a need for more research.

Different species often have specialized tasks, whether caring for aphids or forging trails that other creatures can follow.

Learning about ant numbers brings these impacts into view, providing clues on how to preserve balance in fragile areas.

It also encourages reflection on how many hidden factors keep our ecosystems intact. Though small, ants tackle responsibilities that otherwise would need a range of other organisms to manage.

By studying these insects, scientists glean insights about resilience, adaptability, and the intricate web of life holding everything together.

Ants, often overlooked, deserve a central place in our discussions about the natural world. They shape environments, help distribute seeds, and are more populous than most of us imagined.

Whether admired for their social complexity or managed for their potential risks, these insects illustrate how even the tiniest creatures can shift large-scale processes.

The full study, “The abundance, biomass, and distribution of ants on Earth,” was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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