The Walking Dead. Based on a true story.
Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, also known as cordyceps, is a type of
fungus that infects insects and takes over their nervous systems. The
method with which they take control of nervous systems is still a
mystery to science. However, the repercussions of such an infection are
all too clear.
nforest.
They frequently forage for food on the forest floor. Unfortunately,
this is where the cordyceps fungus proliferates. A new study shows that
the fungus prefers to grow on “the undersides of leaves sprouting from
the northwest side of plants that grow on the forest floor” This places
it in an ideal position to grow and release its spores to infect ants.
Here's how the fungus gets there in the first place.
When an
ant is infected by cordyceps, it undergoes a series of behavioural
changes. The fungus forces the ant to climb down from the canopy to the
low leaves where the cordyceps prefers to grow. Just before dying, the
ant will use its mandibles to bite down on the leaf to secure itself.
After the zombie ant dies, the fungus digests the insides of the ant to
get nutrition for growth. It’s interesting to note that the cordyceps
avoids digesting the muscles controlling the ant’s mandibles. These
muscles are the ones that keep the ant attached to the surface. The
outer husk of the ant is also left unharmed. The cordyceps uses this as a
physical armor to protect against microbes and other fungi.
The fruiting body of the cordyceps will then erupt from the ants head,
slowly growing longer until it matures, after which it will release the
spores, which seek new hosts. Any ant in the vicinity of this event
risks infection.
A single ant infection is a threat to the
whole colony. As such, ant colonies go out of their way to avoid an
epidemic. Worker ants will often carry an infected ant far away from
where the colony forages to prevent the spread of the fungus. The fact
that Carpenter Ants live in the canopy of the rainforest may be a
strategy to escape the infection.
Cordyceps does not
exclusively target Carpenter Ants. There are many different types of
Cordyceps fungi that can infect many different insects, including moths,
grasshoppers and many more.
Read all about it:
http://www.livescience.com/5631-zombie-ants-controlled-fungus.html Also, a video of Sir David Attenborough narrating the infection process:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o57imEfknMQ Image Source:
http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcReeXC5efIXDYdxKkvB49mOLl9Ym6gipVfnH9-s3v-S2MhmaPXyznLj02Dp
No comments:
Post a Comment