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- THESE ARE FUNGUS FARMING ANTS
WHICH LIVE IN CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA.
THEY'RE AMAZING CREATURES.
THEY DON'T ACTUALLY EAT
THE PLANTS THAT THEY GATHER THEMSELVES.
THEY GATHER PLANTS,
HUGE QUANTITIES OF LEAVES, WHICH THEY CUT,
BEAUTIFULLY CUT WITH LITTLE SCISSOR JAWS
AND THEN CARRY THEM BACK TO THE NEST,
WHERE THEY USE THEM AS COMPOST TO GROW A FUNGUS,
AND IT'S THE FUNGUS THAT THEY ACTUALLY EAT.
THE FUNGUS PRODUCES SPROUTING MUSHROOMS,
AND THEY EAT THOSE.
SO THE ANTS GATHER THE COMPOST ON WHICH THE FUNGUS GROWS.
HUGE COLONIES, GIGANTIC COLONIES
OF THESE FUNGUS GROWING ANTS.
THEY'RE FARMING ANTS.
NOW, UNFORTUNATELY,
THERE'S ANOTHER SPECIES OF FUNGUS WHICH IS A PEST.
IT'S A CROP PEST
WHICH SPECIALIZES ONLY
IN GROWING ON THE ANTS' OWN FUNGUS.
SO THIS FUNGUS UNIQUELY GROWS IN ANTS' NESTS,
NOWHERE ELSE,
AND THIS PEST UNIQUELY GROWS ON THE FUNGUS
WHICH IS THE CROP THAT THE ANTS GROW.
IT'S AN ASTONISHING ANALOGY TO HUMAN FARMING,
AND IT GETS EVEN BETTER.
THE ANTS GO AROUND AND ACTUALLY CONTROL THE PEST,
ACTUALLY EAT OFF THE PEST FUNGUS TO--
JUST LIKE A FARMER WEEDING.
THEY GO AROUND WEEDING.
AND IT'S BEEN SHOWN EXPERIMENTALLY
THAT IF YOU REMOVE THE ANTS, THEN THE PEST FLOURISHES.
AS LONG AS THE ANTS ARE THERE, THE PEST IS KEPT DOWN.
BUT THERE'S ANOTHER WAY IN WHICH THE PEST IS KEPT DOWN.
ON THE BACK OF THE ANT'S NECK THERE
ARE LITTLE PATCHES WHICH ARE BACTERIA.
THE BACTERIA GROW THERE, AND THEY ONLY GROW THERE,
AND THEY SECRETE AN ANTIBIOTIC WHICH ATTACKS THE PEST
WHICH ATTACKS THE FUNGUS WHICH THE ANTS GROW.
IT'S A VERY, VERY COMPLICATED SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN ANTS, THE FUNGUS THAT THEY GROW,
THE PEST THAT ATTACKS THE FUNGUS,
AND THE BACTERIA THAT GROWS ON THE ANTS
THAT ATTACKS THE PEST.