--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But once the ants and termites jumped the…" description: "\"But once the ants and termites jumped the high barrier that prevents the vast variety of evolving animal groups from becoming fully social, they domina..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/853/e-o-wilson-1348_animal_but-once-the-ants-and-termites-jumped-th_2304655.png" --- # But once the ants and termites jumped the high barrier… ![“But once the ants and termites jumped the high barrier that prevents the vast variety of evolving animal groups from becoming fully social, they dominated the world.” quote by E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/853/e-o-wilson-1348_animal_but-once-the-ants-and-termites-jumped-th_2304655.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/853/e-o-wilson-1348_animal_but-once-the-ants-and-termites-jumped-th_2304655.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/853/e-o-wilson-1348_animal_but-once-the-ants-and-termites-jumped-th_2304655.png) > “But once the ants and termites jumped the high barrier that prevents the vast variety of evolving animal groups from becoming fully social, they dominated the world.” [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When ants and termites overcame a barrier to sociality, they became dominant, reshaping ecosystems. **In simple terms:** Ants and termites broke a social barrier, leading to dominance. Key Takeaway Support structures that enable cooperation. Themes evolution cooperation dominance ecosystem sociality Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type scientific philosophical When to use this quote - conservation - agricultural pest management - robotic swarm design - education curricula Key Concepts evolutionary biology complex systems ecology Questions to Reflect On - What mechanisms allow social insects to maintain stability? - How can human societies learn from insect social evolution? A Different Perspective High social complexity can increase vulnerability to collapse. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Ants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ants/) [Barriers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barriers/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Variety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/variety/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [People always think there's this huge hundred-foot-high barrier that separates doing good from doing bad. 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Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [One difference between ants and humans is that while ants send their old women off to war, humans send their young men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/one-difference-between-ants-and-humans-is-that-while-ants-send-their/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [Ants are the leading removers of dead creatures on the land. And the rest of life is substantially dependent upon them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/ants-are-the-leading-removers-of-dead-creatures-on-the-land-and-the/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [In many environments, take away the ants and there would be partial collapses in many of the land ecosystems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/in-many-environments-take-away-the-ants-and-there-would-be-partial/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) ## More by E. O. 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