Smithsonian scientists assembled and analyzed sprawling genetic database, finding some fungal crops later became completely reliant on ants 27 million years ago
When humans began farming crops thousands of years ago, agriculture had already been around for millions of years. In fact, several animal lineages have been growing their own food since long before humans evolved as a species. According to a new study, colonies of ants began farming fungi when an asteroid struck Earth 66 million years ago. This impact caused a global mass extinction but also created ideal conditions for fungi to thrive. Innovative ants began cultivating the fungi, creating an evolutionary partnership that became even more tightly intertwined 27 million years ago and continues to this day. In a paper published October 3, 2024 in Science, scientists at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History analyzed genetic data from hundreds of species of fungi and ants to craft detailed evolutionary trees. Comparing these trees allowed the researchers to create an evolutionary timeline of ant agriculture and pinpoint when ants first began cultivating fungi. The article is titled “The Coevolution of Fungus-Ant Agriculture.”
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