How Are Ants Useful To Humans?: Beneficial and Ecological Helpers

Paul West/ Pet And Wildlife Care

Ants are abundant throughout most environments and infamous for invading picnics. Did you know that these tiny insects actually provide some helpful services to humans? While pesky at times, ants can benefit people and the planet in various ways.

Ants Help Decompose and Recycle Nutrients

One of the most useful roles ants play is serving as decomposers. Ants feast on dead plant and animal matter, breaking it down through digestion. Their colonies essentially serve as tiny recycling centers, allowing important nutrients like nitrogen and carbon to re-enter the soil.

Without ants and other insects performing this function, nutrients would become trapped in decaying organic matter. Ants keep the nutrient cycle going by:

Consuming dead leaves, wood, fungi and deceased insects
Excreting wastes that fertilize soil
Transporting organic material into their nests

Leaf cutter ants are particularly adept at recycling. They cut pieces of leaves and take them underground to feed a fungus garden. This fungus breaks down the leaves into an edible form for the ants. As the fungus digests the vegetation, nutrients are released into the soil.

Ants help prevent the buildup of excessive organic matter. They carry food back to their nests, dispersing nutrients and minimizing clutter. A world without ants would likely see much more undecomposed litter piled up.

Ants Aerate and Mix the Soil

Through their tunneling behavior, ants also aerate the soil. This improves drainage and brings oxygen deeper underground. Better aeration enables roots to penetrate further and plants to thrive.

Ant colonies contain an extensive network of underground tunnels and chambers. All of this digging aerates and mixes the soil:

Tunnel walls fragment dense earth
Chambers create empty pores for air
Constant digging circulates and loosens the soil

The activities of larger ants have an even greater soil impact. For example, harvester ant colonies can dig over 40 tons of dirt when constructing nests!

Ant burrows also provide channels for water infiltration during rains. This helps prevent soil erosion and nutrient runoff. Their soil-turning behavior further promotes decomposition of organic matter.

Ants Help Disperse Seeds

Ants frequently carry seeds back to their nests as a food source. These seeds are often left uneaten in their chambers. This helps disperse the seeds and enhances the odds of future germination.

Seed dispersal by ants helps plants:

Colonize new areas away from the parent plant
Avoid competing for resources with other plants of the same species
Potentially grow in optimal spots ants discard the seeds

Studies show that plants whose seeds are distributed by ants have higher survival rates compared to non-dispersed seeds. Some plants even have special appendages on their seeds that attract ants.

Ants Improve Garden Soil Fertility

The positive effects of ants on soil make them welcome visitors to gardens when managed properly. As ants decompose matter, recycle nutrients and aerate the earth, they naturally improve soil health.

Gardeners can encourage ant colonies to increase soil fertility:

Avoid disturbing ant nests frequently
Allow leaf litter to accumulate in small piles
Compost food scraps for ants to consume
Grow plants that produce extrafloral nectar to feed ants

A healthy population of various ant species can do wonders for enriching garden soil. The improved fertility will then allow plants to thrive.

Ants Eliminate Garden Pests

Ants prey on many common garden pests like caterpillars, flies, spiders and larvae. Their presence helps keep pest populations under control through:

Direct consumption of eggs, larvae and adults
Dismembering insects too big to swallow whole
Scaring away pests through their hunting activities

Research shows that excluding ants from gardens can result in increased populations of leaf-eating insects. This causes more plant damage.

A resident ant colony often brings greater biodiversity too. Other insects flock to the ants’ sugary secretions, enabling more predators to keep pests in check.

Ants Pollinate Plants

Like bees, ants can serve as pollinators for some plants. They travel from flower to flower gathering nectar and spread pollen in the process.

Studies reveal ants pollinate numerous plant species including:

Wildflowers like mountain peppergrass
Fruit trees like mango, cashew and citrus
Herbs and vegetables like leeks, chives, carrots and oregano

The pollination services of ants benefit the plants and the ecosystem. It improves crop yields and biodiversity.

Not all ant species pollinate equally though.Tapinoma ants pollinate the most plant species, likely due to their sugar-loving diet. Formica and Myrmica ants are also common pollinators.

Ants Can Indicate Soil Health

The types of ants present in an area provide clues about the soil conditions. Observing ants can help identify issues needing correction:

Carpenter ants thrive in water-saturated soils, indicating improper drainage
Harvester ants prefer dry, compacted sites suggesting the need for aeration
Cornfield ants flourish in low-nitrogen soils that would benefit from compost
Pavement ants dominate areas with excessive salt buildup

Make note if ant numbers seem unusually high or low as well. This may signify improving or declining soil quality.

Ants Reduce Wildfire Threats

In fire-prone ecosystems like forests and grasslands, ants help decrease risks of destructive wildfires. Their nests act as fire breaks, slowing the spread of flames across lands.

Ant mounds are less flammable than surrounding dry vegetation for several reasons:

Built from moist subsoil that contains little plant matter
Insulated by the ants’ excavated dirt, limiting oxygen flow
Kept cool by the ants’ metabolic activity lowering nest temperature

One study found that removing ant mounds from a section of forest resulted in double the area burned during an experimental blaze.

Ants Improve Crop Yields

On farms, the positive effects of ant fertilization and pest predation boost crop yields. Studies demonstrate that tending ants in agricultural fields increases harvests.

For example, one experiment showed higher cashew production when ants were present. The nuts per cashew tree increased by 70% compared to ant-excluded trees!

Farmers can promote ant colonies through actions like:

Planting hedgerows with extrafloral nectar sources
Using cover crops that attract ants
Limiting tillage and soil disturbance
Reducing broad-spectrum insecticide usage

Ants Provide Clues to Environmental Pollution

Urban ants often live in soil containing high pollution levels. Monitoring ant populations and health provides insight on the state of soil contamination.

Signs of excessive pollution exposure in ants may include:

Lack of worker ants foraging above ground
Increased winged reproductive ants attempting to flee the nest
High ant mortality rates
Reduced number of colonies

Because ants don’t travel far from their nests, they become bioindicators of localized soil quality. A toxic zone likely indicates pollutants needing remediation.

Harvesting Ant Venom for Medicinal Uses

The venoms of some tropical ants contain complex peptides with potential pharmaceutical uses. Ant venom peptides currently being studied for properties such as:

Analgesic – Reduction of pain
Anti-inflammatory – Blocking inflammation
Antimicrobial – Fighting infections
Anticancer – Combating cancerous cells

Obtaining venom from leafcutter ants is especially valued. Compared to collecting synthetic versions, harvesting natural compounds directly from ants is more cost-effective.

However, ant venom harvesting requires careful practices to ensure sustainability. Rotation between nests and avoiding overexploitation of populations is key.

Takeaways on Ant Contributions to Humans

At first glance, ants may seem like entirely bothersome insects. However, a closer look reveals their ecological importance:

Ants act as decomposers and recyclers in the nutrient cycle
Their tunneling aerates and mixes soil
They help disperse seeds and pollinate plants
Ants can control pests, enhance soil fertility and reduce wildfires
Their presence indicates soil health and pollution levels
Ant venom contains compounds with medicinal potential

So despite their tiny size, ants provide valuable services on a global scale. Their intricate cooperation helps maintain healthy ecosystems that humans depend on.

Next time ants show up uninvited, take a moment to appreciate their positive impacts. A few ants can brighten your picnic table but many ants brighten your environment. With proper management, ants and humans can both reap mutual benefits.

Further Reading