A very small being that occupies the entire world.. So who is he? How many are there?

Weather of Arabia - In every corner and under every surface, you find a colony of these microorganisms, they live in their communities and system and occupy every small corner; They are the ants, this small organism that occupies the entire world and is present everywhere and is almost the most widespread organism on the surface of the earth. Have you ever wondered how many ants live on Earth?

How do ants live and adapt?

Ants are considered one of the most widely distributed insect organisms on Earth, and their colonies are spread across all continents and even harsh environments such as deserts and dense forests, and thanks to their impressive social organization; Ants live in colonies that range in size from a few dozen to millions of ants. The ants undertake many tasks within the colony, such as collecting food, building complex mazes, and caring for eggs. The queen is the main leader in the colony and plays a crucial role in organizing and growing the ant community.

Surprisingly, ants have been able to adapt to various environments and weather changes. This ability to survive and adapt is one of the main reasons for their wide spread. Ant colonies interact in complex ways, as ants communicate through the use of chemistry, sensory communication, and their own movements.

According to a report published by ( The Conversation ) website, ants play many important roles in maintaining the ecological balance, including aeration of the soil, spreading seeds, and breaking down organic matter. A study reported by the British newspaper The Guardian indicated that ants can be more effective than pesticides used by farmers. Therefore, ants are an important part of the food chain.

Have you ever wondered how many ants are around the world? What is their total weight? And what is their proportion compared to other organisms, including humans? And why are some regions of the world spreading ant species more than others?

These questions may seem inconsequential at first glance, but in fact they hold great importance in our understanding of natural processes. Ants are an essential player in most ecosystems, playing a vital role and intricately interacting with other organisms.

How many ants live on earth?

There are more than 15,700 species and subspecies of ants, and many others that science has yet to name. Their high degree of social organization enabled them to colonize almost all ecosystems and regions around the world.

The astounding prevalence of ants has led many naturalists to speculate about their exact number on Earth, but systematic, evidence-based estimates have been lacking.

A team from the Insect Biodiversity and Biogeography Laboratory at the University of Hong Kong used a new method to count the number of ants around the world.

According to a press release about the study, Patrick Schultheis, the study's lead author, led the effort. He pointed out that the researchers studied ant communities in different regions of the world, where they collected thousands of samples of ants to determine their species. The number of ants has been recorded in their research papers frequently.

The previous numbers of ants ranged by about a quadrillion, that is, one preceded by 15 zeros, and these estimated numbers were based on educated guessing. According to Schultheis, in this study he was able to collect data from nearly 500 different studies from all over the world and in many languages, and thus they were able to determine the density of ants in Different regions of the world thus estimate the total number on Earth.

The latest study reported that the ant population ranges between two and 20 times the previously estimated number. That's 20 quadrillion, 20 preceded by 15 zeros.

Ant biomass

The total mass of ants on Earth is equivalent to 12 million tons of carbon, meaning that the ant's biomass weighs more than the mass of all wild birds and mammals combined and is equivalent to 20% of human biomass.

But the ants are not evenly distributed on the surface of the earth, so we find that the tropics, for example, harbor more ants than other regions, and that depends on the local ecosystem

Sabine Naughton, co-author of the study, points out that "ants are abundant in forests and arid regions. They are less prevalent in man-made areas, which has potential consequences for the ecosystems provided by ant communities, such as decomposition and pest control."

The number of ants compared to the number of other organisms

The number of ants in the world is equivalent to the number of wild birds and mammals, as for humans, the number of people is currently close to 8 million, and since the number of ants is 20 quadrillion; This means that for every human being there are 2.5 million ants, imagine that!