Parasites are facinating Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, the - TopicsExpress



          

Parasites are facinating Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, the ‘zombie-ant fungus’. Once an ant becomes infected, the fungus not only consumes it from the inside out but also steers its behaviour, propelling it to a zone on the forest floor where the temperature and humidity are just right. Once the ant is in the right spot, the fungus erodes its jaw-opening muscles, forcing it to irreversibly bite down on a leaf. It stays fixed in this death-grip while a capsule erupts through its head, ready to rain spores down upon other ants passing below. aeon.co/magazine/nature-and-cosmos/what-can-ants-teach-us-about-agriculture/
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 14:36:34 +0000

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