Leafcutter ants make huge piles of waste from cultivating fungus, and these rubbish dumps emit a surprising amount of greenhouse gas.

The ants , found throughout Central and South America, collect huge amounts of vegetation and use it to farm a domesticated fungus in their nests . They have a sophisticated waste management system, with members of the colony responsible for transporting their refuse to a dump outside the colony. This waste consists of decomposed leaves, dead fungus and even dead ants.

Just like compost heaps, …