Zombie AntThis ant has been completely taken over by a fungus. It’s dead now, but the fungus h

Zombie AntThis ant has been completely taken over by a fungus. It’s dead now, but the fungus has been in control for some time.The fungus (Ophiocordyceps unilateralis) has a complex relationship with the carpenter ant (Camponotus leonardi). Yeast-like spores of the fungus attach to a live ant, and gradually work their way into its body. Once there, they modify the chemistry of the ant’s nervous system, and change its behaviour. At this stage the ant is effectively a zombie, and all its actions benefit the fungal invader.The zombie ant climbs up plants above its former colony, and sinks its mandibles into the thick veins on the underside of leaves. Once the zombie ant is attached, the fungus rapidly attacks its jaw muscles so it can’t let go, leaving it dangling on the underside of the leaf. The fungus then changes mode, and kills the ant. It grows tendril-like hyphae through the ants body, bursting out of the exoskeleton and anchoring the ant to the underside of the leaf. (The image is flipped 180º)The fungus then grows a large ‘fruiting’ structure, which bursts through the back of the ant’s head, and hangs down from the leaf. The fruiting structure ripens, and eventually scatters its spores on the ground and ants below, where a new generation of zombies are infected.This specific fungus-ant relationship is found in Thailand and Brazil, although numerous other examples of 'zombie insects’ can be found throughout the world. Don’t worry though - there aren’t any human zombie fungi.OBImage credit: http://goo.gl/KKjMsUA quick video: http://goo.gl/OObekXA bit more detail: http://goo.gl/PR3hWmThe fungus also has predators…: http://goo.gl/z78gP -- source link

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