Ethiopian Ants Are Setting Up To Invade the Globe
Scientists have recently discovered a colony of the infamous ant species Lepisiota canescens living in the forests of Ethiopia exhibiting behavior that suggests they will begin forming a supercolony and will very likely become a globally invasive species. In normal language that basically means they’re getting ready to literally take over the world. Lock your doors and make sure your screens on your doors and windows are sealed tight! We may have an invasion on our hands in the near future!
One reason scientists believe this species could invade other countries and actually stretch their colony across vast expanses of land and even oceans because, like other invasive species, these ants have a tendency to travel with humans. They can hitch a ride in a potted plant or in someone’s luggage and easily cross to numerous other countries, especially as tourism and global commerce continue to grow in that region of Ethiopia. The author D. Magdalena Sorger, who is currently doing her postdoctoral research at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, claims that it would take just one pregnant queen hitching a ride in someone’s luggage for the species to spread globally. That is, in fact, how fire ants actually spread to the United States.
It takes a very specific kind of ant species to form supercolonies, though. Not just any ant species has the characteristics that make them expand in this aggressive manner. Most ants simply form one single colony made up of one nest that is ruled by a single queen. However, around 20 different species of ants exist that have more lofty goals in mind such as global domination or building a giant empire. You might think of them as the Romans or Huns of the insect world. These ant species build multiple nests with many queens that make up one giant supercolony. These supercolonies can contain billions of individual ants that will actually swarm out across increasing expanses of land and get rid of their ant neighbors, taking over their land and expanding their empire. The biggest supercolony in the world currently spans across 3,700 miles of the Mediterranean.
The reason scientists believe the species L. canescens in Ethiopia is ripe for creating a supercolony is that they have the ability to expand their territory without any constraints. The species is very genetically diverse and native to the region. While they seem to prefer living in these forests in Ethiopia, they also have an uncanny ability to cross from their preferred forest habitat across very forbidding landscapes to nearby buildings, farms, and roads. The largest colony of the ants so far spans roughly 24 miles, and has the largest population for a supercolony living in its native habitat. The researchers also noted that the ant species is rapidly expanding its population and exhibits aggressive expansionist behavior that is typically seen in invasive ant species. These guys could be living your very own backyard in the very near future! Keep an eye out for any ants with an Ethiopian accent that are new to the neighborhood…but try not to be a bigoted bug-ist! The last thing we need in our current troubled society is more discriminatory ant-profiling!
What do you think causes an ant species to desire expansion like these supercolonies when other species are perfectly happy with their one small colony?