sarren

Could you cite a reference for that, please?

I'm thinking 'plant mass, like trees' and 'mycelial growth around plant roots' and shaking my head here.

Because what do the ants eat?

And what about plankton? There's an awful lot of plankton out there.

From:

or, are you talking about animal life?

From:

That can't be right. Bacteria make up a huge proportion of the planet's biomass (particularly when you count underground - there's bacteria to 2km deep) (source: A New Scientist article I read 18months ago or so).

Plus, you know, biomass. I think plants including algae have well and truly got any kind of animal beat.

Are they maybe 20% of animal biomass?

From:

Both of our nerd-brains went *glckglckglck*, didn't they?

From:

Yep. My ex, who is a mycologist, is full of the importance of mycelium, and how almost everything under our feet is actually mycelium, and how 95% of plant life on earth is completely dependent on the fungi mycelium that grows around the root masses. And how the largest single organism on the planet is actually one mushroom mass that's some staggering size across (I've blanked the details out, but I seem to remember kilometres being the unit of measurement).

Of course, if she studied ants, I might be nodding my head wisely and agreeing with

sarren.

From:

I'm still thinking krill are going to beat ants. There's an awful lot of ocean out there, and krill are exceedingly good at covering the surface of it.

From:

Take it up with my lecturer! He reckons 5% human, 5% cows and 20% ants. I've been OMGing about this to Angriest for days.

I'm glad I'm not crazy.

From:

Yes, but what is its lifespan? Angriest looked it up and ants have a 45-60 day lifecycle - that's a lot of dead ants.

It seems too incredible to be true to me, too.

I blame my lecturer.

From:

You can't say 'plants including algae'. It's against the rules. Plants and algae are different kingdoms.

From:

But how fast do ants get eaten by other organisms? They're pretty small-- I reckon they'd be a bacterial snack in a matter of days, apart possibly from the chitin.

I have no idea about the lifespan of mycelial cells. These cells are the thread-like white strands you see in the soil (I think that's their reproductive stage, but I probably had my fingers in my ears and was going lalala when it was explained to me). They're just *everywhere* that there's life on the planet.

From:

argh, only I can't count.

cows+ants+people=30% of all animal biomass is still wrong. Do you know how many fish there are out there, for a start? Those oceans are awfully big.

From:

I never thought about fish dying of old age or disease much.

Angriest has just checked Wiki (so it must be right!) and says krill account for twice human biomass.

We think you guys are right and he meant animal biomass!

From:

how almost everything under our feet is actually mycelium

I remember feeling quite light-headed as I walked home after reading the article, knowing that beneath my feet was this huge amount of life. I felt like I could fall through the ground at any second.

From:

Dargh!

Plants plus algae.

From:

At this rate it looks like

agoodliedown and I are going to go smack him upside the head at any moment.

From:

I like to lie on my back lawn, and think about the masses of life beneath me; the worms and ants, the grass roots, the tree roots, the mycelium and soil bacteria, and the deeper bacteria. Then there's the ground water, seeping and sinking and rising. And I look up, at the clouds and the sky, and think about how high up and the atmosphere goes, and how wonderful it all is.

Yeah. Specks of dust, and all that.

From:

That works.

From:

I've got a science degree. I could roll him up and smack him with that. Or I could tell my ex about this silliness, and she could go for him. 'Arm attack biology dyke. Aim. Release.'

From:

I am now imagining L with exaggerated jaw and teeth plunging headfirst from the clouds, "You forgot fungi! Diiiiieeeeeee!"

From:

With her cape fluttering behind her. A red cape, with white spots on it, even though Amanita muscari don't occur in Western Australia.

I'm going to tell her about this. Then make her the cape.

From:

victorian-tweed.livejournal.com

60 % of statistics are made up.

*drum roll* *tish!*

From: