Laser mapping spots ant colonies in dense forest

There are more than 10 quintillion insects on Earth, 200 million for every human. But studying them is tough: The animals are often tiny, and many live in places like soil and trees that make them hard to spot. Now, researchers have found a new way to spy on them. In a study published this month in Methods in Ecology and Evolution , scientists have used lidar—a laser mapping technique that has helped uncover hidden Amazonian cities —to identify a species of ant in its native acacia trees with more than 80% accuracy . The approach is cheaper than traditional fieldwork, the team argues, and could help scientists quickly spot invasive species or those at risk of extinction. “It’s super cool; it does exactly what they say,” says Nate Sanders, an ecologist at the University of Michigan who wasn’t involved with the study. “They’re using really efficient technology to sample biodiversity they otherwise wouldn’t be able to sample.” The approach is partially the brainchild of Naomi Pierce, a behavioral ecologist at Harvard University. Her lab studies the symbiotic relationship between the whistling thorn acacia ( Acacia drepanolobium ) and several species of ants in Kenya. The tree feeds the insects with nectar and shelters them in hollows called domacia; in exchange, the ants defend the acacia from giraffes and other herbivores by swarming the animals and delivering painful bites. The locations of the...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research