CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS—Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have analyzed the genomes of insects from 192 locations and discovered that the tropical fire ant was the first great ant explorer. Crews of 16th-century Spanish galleons would fill their ships with soil in the New World and, when they reached a new port, replace it with cargo, explains entomologist and biologist Andrew Suarez, one of the study’s authors. The ants would be offloaded at locations across Europe when the ballast was dumped. This invasive species of insect created a massive problem for local agriculture and native animal and bird populations. “This was one of the first global invasions,” says Suarez. To read about a 16th-century galleon’s trip to the American South, go to “Sunken Dreams.”
