The attack of the zombie ant. Image: Shutterstock
Some parasites can take full control of its host by manipulating its behaviour. One of the best examples can be seen in the Thai rainforest, where ants (species Camponotus leonardi) infected by Ophiocordysceps fungi die after munching on abaxial leaf veins.
According to the paper “Behavioral mechanisms and morphological symptoms of zombie ants dying from fungal infection” published in the journal BMC Ecology “host mortality is concentrated in patches (graveyards) where ants die on sapling leaves ca. 25 cm above the soil surface where conditions for parasite development are optimal.”
Why do ants walk gladly towards their death?
Once infected by the fungus, the ant becomes an extension of the fungu’s phenotype, which basically makes ants behave like zombies–the fungus controls its nervous system. Their erratic behaviour precludes them from returning to the canopy and hungry or not the zombie ant will munch on leaf veins; its jaw will lock after the first few bites. Days later, the ant will die and the fungi will release its spores — which will then be picked-up by other ants.
But zombie ants might actually save our crops. Researchers at Penn State University, US, will continue studying the fungus as it might be used to control pests in farms.
