Ant Population Could Be Eliminated With Rising Temperature: Report

Climate change and the rising temperature of planet Earth is posing a problem for ants. The behaviour of ants does not change in response to rising temperatures, suggesting that they may struggle to adapt to the climate crisis, according to a study as reported by Independent. The research was done at North Carolina State University and demonstrates that "ants remained in suboptimal microhabitats" even when optimal ones were available.

Since ants are ectotherms, their body temperatures fluctuate according to their surroundings. Despite the fact that these animals are exposed to a variety of temperatures on a daily basis, the majority of ectotherms prefer habitats that are a little colder than the so-called optimal functioning temperature, where they are best able to carry out all of life's functions, according to the study.

The Independent, citing the study, stated that if an ectotherm is exposed to a temperature higher than its optimum point, it will die. However, nothing is known about how or even if insect ectotherms would modify their behaviour to avoid warmer but still safe temperature ranges, which are becoming more likely owing to global climate change.

The researchers at the North Carolina State University studied five different ant species to learn how they respond to warmer sub-lethal temperatures. The temperature of the ants varied depending on their colour and size and the researchers used a special ant thermometer to detect the same. Additionally, the scientists gathered some ants for the lab and put them in a rectangular chamber with a regulated temperature gradient to ascertain each species' ideal temperature.

"The researchers found that the ants in the lab did have distinct thermal preferences, but ants in the field were active in their preferred climates only slightly more often than would be expected to occur by chance," the Independent stated

Elsa Youngsteadt, a professor of applied ecology at the university and a co-author of the study told the Independent, "Warmer times and places make warmer ants, and they're not adjusting their activity to match their preferred conditions." She also added that "the metabolic rates of ants are all creeping upward as the climate changes."