American scientists from the Smithsonian Institution have found that ants began farming shortly after the meteorite crash that put an end to the existence of dinosaurs. This happened about 66 million years ago. The study was published in the scientific journal Science.
The team analyzed genetic data from 475 different species of fungi and 276 varieties of ants, creating a history of the evolution of ant farming.
The results showed that after the meteorite impact and mass extinction of animals and plants at the end of the Cretaceous period, fungi thrived on rotting leaf litter. The ants took advantage of this, for which the mushrooms became a source of food during the period of slow restoration of life.
The work also showed that it took about 40 million more years for ants to develop advanced agriculture. Researchers were able to trace the origins of this advanced practice to approximately 27 million years ago. During this time, rapid climate cooling changed the environment around the world.
