Entomologists Ted Schultz and Sean Brady of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History said their findings provide insights into the agricultural abilities of ants, as well as how such abilities have evolved.

During the past 25 million years, four different specialized agricultural systems have evolved, leading to the most recently evolved and best-known fungus-growing ant species: "leaf-cutter ants," the researchers said. The ants don't eat leaves, instead they grow their fungus gardens on them and then eat the fungus.

"Agriculture is very rare in the animal world," said Schultz. "We only know of four animal groups that have discovered agriculture: ants, termites, bark beetles and humans. By studying certain fungus-growing ants
we might be able to better understand steps involved in the evolution of ant agriculture."

The study appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

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