◆Bilingual reading
A new study estimates there are 20 quadrillion individual ants across the globe, which together weigh more than all wild birds and mammals combined.“ Anyone who’s looked at ants and realised there are lots of them has probably wondered how many there may be in total – it’s just a question that’s on people’s minds,” says Patrick Schultheiss at the University of Hong Kong, who co-led the study with his colleague Sabine Nooten at the Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg in Germany.
Translation▼
A new study estimates that there are 200 million ants worldwide, and the combined weight of all ants is greater than the biological weight of all wild birds and mammals combined. Patrick Stewart of the University of Hong Kong, who co-led the study with his colleague Shabin Nuten of the University of Julis-Maximan in Germany, said: "Anyone who has observed ants and realised that there are many ants will probably want to know how many ants there are in the world in total – it's just a question in people's minds." ”
To provide an answer, they compiled data from 489 studies that measured ant densities in different parts of the world using standardised methods. They extrapolated this data to estimate there are approximately 20,000,000,000,000,000, or 20 quadrillion, ants across the globe.
Translation ▼
To answer this question, they collected data from 489 studies that measured ant density in different parts of the world using standardized methods. Based on this data, they extrapolated that there are about 200 million ants in the world.
The total biomass of this global ant population – the collective weight of carbon in all the individuals – is about 12 million tonnes. This is more than wild birds and mammals combined, which have a total biomass of 2 million tonnes and 7 million tonnes, respectively. Humans, by comparison, have a total biomass of 60 million tonnes.
Click on the empty space below to view the translation ▼
The total biomass of the global ant population – the total carbon weight of all individuals – is about 12 million tonnes. That's more than wild birds and mammals combined, with biomass of 2 million tons and 7 million tons respectively. By comparison, the total biomass of humans is 60 million tons.
Previous estimates of the number of ants on Earth were “essentially educated guesses” that extrapolated from ant densities measured in one or two locations, says Schultheiss. The latest analysis aimed to be more accurate by looking at studies from all continents and written in different languages. There are still gaps in our knowledge, however, because most ant counts have been conducted on the ground, rather than in trees or underground, says Schultheiss. Statistics from Africa and northern Asia are also limited.
Translation ▼
Previous estimates of ant populations on Earth were "basically educated guesses," based on measured ant densities at one or two points on Earth, Stewart said. However, Stewart says there is still a gap in our perception because most of the ants on the ground are counted, not the ants on and below the trees. Statistics for Africa and North Asia are also limited.
There are 15,700 known species and subspecies of ants. The insects are vital to most ecosystems because of their roles in dispersing seeds, increasing nutrient availability via soil turnover and providing food for ant-eating animals. Knowing the global ant population is important for conservation purposes, says Nooten.
Translation ▼
There are 15,700 known ant species and subspecies worldwide. Because ants can disperse seeds, increase the nutrient properties of the land by turning the soil, provide food for anteaters, and more, this insect plays a vital role in most ecosystems. Nutten said that knowing the global ant population is important for conservation goals.
Excerpt from: New Scientist
Release time: 2022.09.19
Written by Alice Klein
There are 20,000,000,000,000,000 ants crawling all over Earth
◆Vocabulary accumulation
1.quadrillion
English [kwɒˈdrɪljən] American [kwɑːˈdrɪljən] n. to the power of four millions; A thousand to the fifth power adj. Five thousandths to the power
2.extrapolate
English [ɪkˈstræpəleɪt] American [ɪkˈstræpəleɪt] vt. Extrapolate; Inference vi. Extrapolate; Make inferences
3.biomass
English [ˈbaɪəʊmæs] American [ˈbaɪoʊmæs] n. biomass; Biomass fuels
4.dispersing
American [dɪˈspɜːrs] n. distribution, dispersion adj. Decentralized v. Make dispersal; Spread; Dispersal (present participle of disperse)
◆Phrase collocation
1. Educated guess n. Educated speculation
◆Write sentence summary
原句：Anyone who’s looked at ants and realised there are lots of them has probably wondered how many there may be in total – it’s just a question that’s on people’s minds.
结构：Anyone who’s looked at XX and realised XX has probably wondered how XX – it’s just a question that’s on people’s minds.
例句：Anyone who’s benefited from studying and realized how important it is has probably wondered how to use the knowledge to become a better self – it’s just a question that’s on people’s minds.