Although agriculture is often touted as a pivotal human invention, it is not unique to us. It turns out that even slime molds with a penchant for sociality can farm. For Dustin Rubenstein, an evolutionary ecologist at Columbia University, this unexpected finding points to an evolutionary link between the ability to cultivate food and the development of complex social behavior (Nature, 469:393-96, 2011).
Unexpected slime mold complexity
Fungi-farming ants: a new phylogeny
Video: Rubenstein on agricultural slime molds
The Scientist: In which species, besides humans, do we see agriculture?
Dustin Rubenstein: We see it in a variety of organisms, most commonly in insects. Ants are the most well-known species outside of humans. But there are also beetles that farm their own food, and there are various subtypes of agriculture in some species of fishes. It’s certainly not widespread in the animal kingdom, but it’s more common than just ...
