Scientists discover the first species of mouse that can grow crops

Humans often pride themselves on being the only mammal on Earth that can grow crops. Since 10,000 years ago, with the advent of early agriculture, our ancestors solved hunger.

Abundant food sources have since allowed humanity to increase its population, fortify nutrition to develop both its height and weight. Undeniably, farming and agriculture have contributed greatly to the development and prosperity of human civilization.

That is why in games that simulate the development of civilizations, such as Empire, the activity of drawing fields and cultivating crops in the second life instead of hunting and gathering is always focused.

But now, there's the first non-human mammal that seems to know how to do it, too. In a new study in the journal Current Biology, scientists suggest that the Gopher, or American kangaroo, also knew how to farm.

These American kangaroos love to eat longleaf pine roots. Therefore, they often burrow beneath fields or forests with this tree species. But Gopher rats not only harvest long, leafy pine roots that grow into their burrows, but they also know how to plant new roots to eat.

The rats create their own farming areas in their burrow systems, often hundreds of meters long with winding tunnels. They also store urine and manure, to fertilize plant roots to increase yield.

While there is some scientific debate around the definition of farming, to see if the behavior of American kangaroos constitutes enough farming activity, the new study authors point to some indications: clearly shows that these rats managed an agriculture, at least the way humans manage forests.

Biologist Francis Putz, from the University of Florida, said: "These southeastern kangaroos were the first non-human mammals to be farmed. Before that, farming was just known in ants, beetles and termites, but not other mammals (except humans)".

You may not know, many animals also know how to farm

Such is the case with some insects, such as ants. Leafcutter ants (Atta, Acromyrmex) of Central and South America are known for their ability to breed mushrooms. Many people mistakenly believe that these ants cut leaves back to the nest to eat. But no, that's just their food source.

In the forests of Mexico, you can easily meet these ants bringing back to the nest leaves, grass and sometimes fresh flowers 20 times the size of their bodies. The purpose is to feed the fungus they are feeding.

Wait until the mushroom grows, the ants will eat the mushroom. That's because fungi are more nutritious than leaves. While this is a clever strategy, these ants still lose their crops from time to time. If their job of growing mushrooms is difficult, leafcutter ants can face starvation in the nest.

Many people think that ants cut leaves to eat leaves, but they only bring leaves to feed mushrooms.

Another species of ant called the garden black ant (Lasius niger) has an agricultural strategy in the form of livestock. The ants feed the aphids inside the barn system they design, in the same way that humans raise dairy cows. The purpose is to "squeeze" for bedbug nectar, a rich source of sugar and nutrients for them.

Black garden ants graze aphids in the true sense of the word. They often design an area of ​​the most nutrient-rich branches for aphids to live in, while also guarding to protect them from predators.

In winter evenings, ants also carry aphids into their nest to keep them warm, and then drive them out during the day. In order for the aphids in the grasslands to grow without flying away, some ants even amputated their wings.

Garden black ants also keep aphid eggs, so that when they reach a new land, these eggs can hatch into a new colony of aphids, to breed there. But the most interesting part is that the ants know how to train aphids to milk their milk.

Well-trained aphids will accumulate honey until they are stroked by ants with their antennae, at which time they will produce milk. Perhaps with these skillful skills, ants must be the first civilization on Earth that knows how to farm, not humans.

Garden black ants and a farm where they are herding aphids.

Going back to crop-based agriculture, we also have termites that also know how to grow mushrooms. Termite nests are usually designed with mounds of complex structure, in which there are several chambers controlled by temperature and humidity suitable for fungal growth. Like leafcutter ants, termites grow mushrooms in these nest compartments to get food. They find leaves and wood to feed the fungus to grow.

Ambrosia beetles also grow mushrooms in a similar way. They manage their crops inside rotting bark. There are also many people mistakenly believe that this termite is chiseling tree trunks and eating wood. But no, the sawdust that they shave off the wood is just to feed the fungus. Both the adults and the young of the Ambrosia beetle feed on mushrooms.

Another mushroom culture species is the Marsh Periwinkles snail (Littoraria irrorata). They are also known for their ability to feed parasitic fungi on grass leaves. The snails use their rough tongue to dig deep grooves in the leaves, like a plowshare. The fungus can then grow inside those grooves. Every day, these snails defecate into the trench to fertilize their crops.

In the water, you can expect an agriculture to come from fish. The dame fish are said to be able to grow algae. They tend to their algae fields and guard that territory very closely. These fish usually attack any creature that swims close to their crops.

Finally there is a species of crab called the Yeti. These crabs feed bacteria on their hairy claws. The crabs feed bacteria on methane from vents on the seafloor. In contrast, the bacteria convert inorganic chemicals into the oxygen and sulfides that crabs need to thrive. When the crabs are ready to harvest, they will use reaper-like teeth, reaping on the feathers of their claws to get their meal.

But now, scientists have found the first mammal to grow crops

So it can be seen that while agriculture is not a hard-to-reach aspect for many insects and molluscs and crustaceans, it is a fairly new concept for mammals, not People.

Even large animists possessing intelligence and are closely related to us are still confined to a foraging society. However, now there is a species of kangaroo that can grow crops.

These are the Gophers (Geomys pinetis), a small marsupial that lives in North and Central America. They weigh only about 200 grams, are 15-20 cm long and have gray-brown fur. The American kangaroo's most powerful tool is their large teeth and claws, which help them burrow beneath fields to eat roots.

Gopher Mouse spends most of its life underground.

Gopher rats spend most of their lives underground, digging underground tunnels as large and long as a football field. Occasionally these American kangaroos come to the surface, during mating season.

To study the rat's behavior, biologist Francis Putz at the University of Florida went to the Flamingo Hammock Foundation, a jointly run rural estate of which Putz is a partial owner, to study.

He and his college students used an endoscope camera (the kind used to probe plumbing and car engines) to look inside the kangaroo's burrow. Observing the society of this creature, Putz noticed that rats not only know how to eat roots, they also know how to grow crops.

Rats not only know how to eat roots, they also know how to plant.

Specifically, gopher rats often harvest longleaf pine or nettle roots that grow into their tunnels. After harvesting, they will urinate and defecate throughout the tunnels as a form of fertilizer for the roots to grow.

These wastes will create a dense, moist and nutrient-rich environment that helps stimulate further plant root growth. Through fertilizing, American kangaroos can grow enough roots to provide 20-60% of their daily caloric needs, and just need to earn new roots for the rest.

While this is not a complex form of farming, the researchers suggest that the Gopher's behavior is sufficiently similar to how humans manage natural forest areas, including restrained crop harvesting, save and take care of a part of it so that the plant grows again in the future.

A Gopher Mouse is pulling down the roots to harvest

Putz notes that in most cases, the American kangaroos don't drag the whole tree into the tunnel and eat it all. They always leave some plants behind to grow their roots.

This activity costs both time and energy. These rats also know how to protect their crops.

"They're trying to create the perfect environment for plant roots to grow and fertilize," said zoologist Veronica Selden at the University of Florida. "All of these conditions qualify for a low-level food production system."

The new study was published in the journal Current Biology.