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School of Ants Map - Lasius Ant
healthy plant growth. Just like the engineers who press our world
and help it flow, Lasius ants churn and build wherever they live.
When was the last time you rode over a bridge or walked into a
building and thought, “Gosh, isn’t it nice? I’m not afraid this
building/bridge will collapse on me”? Probably never. We don’t
think about it because we don’t have to. Thanks to our engineers,
things work.
North American distribution of the Lasius ant (Lasius alienus). Visit
www.schoolofants.org/species/1852 for an interactive version.
Lasius ants are among the first species to pop their tents in
disturbed areas, and from the moment they move in, they start
turning the soil and making the ground ready for life. They burrow
their tunnels into the soil, tripling soil respiration, the soil’s ability
to “breathe,” compared to non-Lasius areas. They do such a
good job at aeration that more insects and spiders move into
those Lasius-affected, loosely compacted, fresh-air areas, which
has a cascade of positive effects on the ecosystem around them.
They carry dead insects and sweet treats from one place to
another, spreading out some soil nutrients and concentrating
others, which increases all kinds of chemical and biological
processes. They even help fix nitrogen, an important chemical for
The same goes for soil in our natural areas. We seem to only pay
attention to our soil when it stops working well, plants die,
animals move out and the soil actually becomes stone dead. Our
Lasius engineers, like my husband and the engineers that
reinforce and shape our human-made world, don’t seem to mind
that we don’t notice. They don’t need us to shower them with
thanks, but they do need us to give them the space and
resources they need to do their best work. Keep your eyes peeled
for volcanoes on the putting green or in your city’s medians. See
if you can spot a sesame seed waddling out. Give it a salute as it
passes by, conducting its business of building and bettering our
world.
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