Zombie Ant Fungi control ants to get to their host
Paula Marie Navarra | | Aug 28, 2014 09:41 AM EDT |
A new study shows that "Zombie Ant Fungi" have the ability to manipulate the ants to get to their next host.
Researchers found out that to manipulate the ants the fungi emits a behavior controlling chemical during an encounter with its target host.
However, they don't emit this chemical when they are infecting another ant, they said.
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Charissa de Bekker from the University of Munich said that Fungi are well known for their ability to secrete chemicals that can affect the environments.
Much like in a zombie apocalypse, a zombie ant fungi would kill and infect not just its target ant but as well as other ants.
David Hughes, one of the researchers, said that the he and his colleagues conducted this study because they are intrigued of the chemicals the fungus produces during its encounter with an ant brain.
He said that scientists don't get to see a lot of fungi behavior. They would have to know how the fungi are doing by knowing their growth process and secreted chemicals.
Phil Smith, another researchers involved in the study, said that in their data they found out that a fungi behaved differently in the ant brain that it evolved with.
According to researchers, they have discovered thousands of unique chemicals that have yet to be defined.
Two of the chemicals involved are gaunobytryc acid and sphingosine the can cause neurological disorders.
De Bekker said that there is no single compound that is produced that is involved with the ant behavior.
It is a mixture of different chemicals that researchers believe act as one, she added.
Researchers believe that the zombie ant fungi are one of the most complex examples of parasites that control animal behavior.
They are amazed by the fact that a fungi who doesn't have a brain controls the one with the brain.
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