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David Hughes / Penn State
This zombie ant has been taken over by a brain-manipulating fungus (Ophiocordyceps unilateralis s.l.), which in turn has been castrated by a hyperparasite fungus (white with yellow material).
The Cordyceps fungus has become a staple of "stranger than fiction" nature stories: Its complex and lethal parasitism of ants, causing the insects to climb as high as they can before the fungus bursts like a horn from their heads, is both bizarre and captivating. Now scientists report that the parasite is getting a dose of its own medicine, as it finds itself under attack from yet another parasitic fungus — one that targets Cordyceps. It's nature's way to pile weirdness upon weirdness.
Researchers led by David Hughes at Penn State University were looking into how some groups of ants were able to survive a Cordyceps attack. The fungus is extremely virulent and can often wipe out an entire colony. Ants groom each other to remove potentially troublesome fungus and microbes, but that couldn't account for the survival rates they were occasionally seeing.
What they found (and reported in PLoS ONE) was another fungus growing in and around the ant colonies — just as much a specialist as the first fungus. This newly discovered fungus attacked the "zombie-ant" fungi and effectively neutered them, sabotaging their spore-producing organs and preventing them from fruiting. Some ants would still be infected (the researchers described a "high density of zombie-ant cadavers in the graveyard"), but the spread of zombie-ism was largely stopped.
Each species of Cordyceps fungus targets only one species; the ant-zombifying variety is just the best-known type. That there could be a fungus that was parasitic in such a fascinating way on a single species is amazing enough, but that a second fungus would specialize in attacking the first is almost beyond belief. It's an example of the density and biodiversity that one finds in, as Hughes puts it, "the exciting theater played out on the rainforest floor."
In addition to Hughes, the authors of the PLoS ONE paper, "Disease Dynamics in a Specialized Parasite of Ant Societies," include Sandra B. Andersen, Matthew Ferrari, Harry C. Evans, Simon L. Elliot and Jacobus J. Boomsma.
Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for msnbc.com. His personal website is coldewey.cc.
Leave a Comment:
And we still hold to the notion that all this can be explained by random mutation? Surely fungus#2 developed because there was an apparent symbiotic need? Or perhaps fungus#1 randomly mutated just to infect the brains of ants?
The notion doesn't sit well with me. I'm not against Darwinism, but I sense that there is an unknown concomitant aspect that is missing.
Well, if nothing else it proves doG has a sense of humor.
Of course it can't be explain just by random mutation. But, of course, that's not how evolution works--it works with natural selection acting on that random variation, and natural selection is certainly not a random process.
The fact that these things evolved is actually expected from evolution. Of the Billions upon Billions of mutations that occur over the course of generations, it is actually quite likely that a few mutations will be adaptive, and will be selected for.
People just have a hard time comprehending the magnitude of time, organisms, and genes that are involved in the process of evolution.
Sometimes living organisms develop a mutation which will help them better survive in their environment. This will result in better chance of reproducing offspring. There is a good chance that the mutation will be expressed in future generations.
Stop deliberately trying to make @!$%# sound confusing.
If you think it's "random" then you don't understand the concepts of gene duplication, heredity, or the scope of time for such mutations to occur.
Then again, maybe the twisted, diabolical imagination of some invisible, undetectable "god" created this hideous fungus that turns ants into zombies. The same god that thoughtfully created childhood cancer. Oh, I forgot - it's because some chick accepted an apple from a talking snake. Much more plausible than evolution...
Not only those, but there's genetic drift, population drift, selection pressure, cultivation pressure, etc.
There's a lot of information out there. Putting "god" in the gaps that you don't understand doesn't reveal a divine influence, it just reveals your willful ignorance.
Many scientists believe that we or other animals would not be here if not for viral mutations. In the earliest days of life on Earth, they believe the simplest of single cell life became infected with others, viruses, becoming more complex cells with symbiotic function (golgi apparatus, mitochondria, nucleus, etc..). What were once single cell, non-organall cells became super cells.... time and nature, other mutations did the rest.
In relevance to today's world, most viruses are not as symbiotic and helpfull to their hosts as in the zombie ant. Perhaps enough ants would have a natural immunity to this fungus to carry on the species, but it seems they're getting a helping hand from another fungus struggling to survive. When one compares what nature comes up with, well, naturally- it's almost amusing how man tries to waltz on in and manipulate these things himself.
It may not sound exactly sympathetic, but human animals have all but tried to do away with any natural selection process per more or less fighting nature and our numbers are far exceding what can be naturally supported. I'm not saying that we should volunteer to snuff it at a certain age, do away with medicine and such.... just that every time nature throws in a corrective curve ball, we hit it. Not saying I like it, but if we don't monitor ourselves and population numbers better eventually nature will have to do it for us. Balance.....
You assume too much, Carnivore2012. If you are thinking that a common innocuous mold or mushroom mutates and suddenly turns into a zombie-creating brain fungus, then you're right that it would be highly unlikely. Not impossible, but highly unlikely.
But if you realize there already is a range of fungi that infects ants, and then one of them develops a mutation that specifically targets a part of the ant's brain that affects behavior, it's not such a big leap. There are plenty of pathogens out there that have done the same thing to many species (including humans), though perhaps with results that are less dramatic.
And every living thing on this planet already has parasites and diseases, including some that infect close relatives of the zombie fungus. Is it really so hard for you to consider that one of them could develop a preference for this parasitic fungus?
If you consider these kinds of smaller steps over time frames that span many human generations, it is real easy to see how you could develop some very weird and fascinating relationships. And because humans aren't wired to think in time frames that long, it is also easy to see why people don't "see" evolution in action. You have to forget about being able to watch one organism turning into another while you watch it. That is not evolution. It doesn't work that way.
Any chance the "zombifying" fungus has a mutation that affects fire ants in the Houston, TX. area? (LOL)
I wouldn't be surprised to see the codyceps fungus genetically engineered to combat invasive species in the future. So your comment really isn't to far off base.
Yeah, Paul Stamets from Washington State dealt with his carpenter ant problem with a home-grown cordyceps strain.
see this link
@Rick,
At some point in the future it will probably be accomplished. I don't know if I like it though. At some point the inevitable unintended consequence will kick in and we will be up a creek without a paddle having created a fungus that zombified all insects or ... ?.
Having solved this problem, where will it end and how?
A study in targeted weaponization... and I don't mean maybe
Well a Global zombie attack in the human population makes more sense coming from a fungus than the traditional hollywood blood contact method.
Fast forward 1000 years and this fungus could cover the earth. We'd have to stay away from infected areas and people.
Actually, people have been using Cordyceps as a medicinal for thousand of yrs. It could be another species of Cordyceps though. I doubt if any would be harmful toward people.
The new fungus being able to take hold over the Codyceps fungus might be in large part due to climate change. If an organism can't adjust quickly enough to its changing climate, another species can eradicate it, more or less. Evidently the ants did their part too. Maybe cohabitation-- an "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine" deal.
Score one for the ants.
Hi Darrah,
Yes you are correct the Chinese (Tibetan in particular) have been exploring medicinal applications for sinensis strain of this entomopathogenic fungal parasite; so perhaps after continued study, using modern methods, proven applications will be found. We can only hope.
I think that the driving force behind its continued study is now going to be driven even more and concentrated on its the genome specific targeting system. Especially as the evidence is now apparent that at least in the fungi world such specific targeting does happen.
This is just a small part of the continuing struggle over dominance of all genus and species ....
Sometimes fungus is a sign of another problem like too much moisture , warmer climate , consumption of already dead material , ect. ....
Just another example of different life forms flourishing in our fascinating world ....
How cool ....
Thanks Alan ....
That was a unique one ....
My colleague Devin Coldewey jumped on this story like a friendly zombie looking for BRAAAAAINS. Glad to have Devin on the Cosmic Log team!
BRAINS!! I thought I read a while back that there was another bug (spider?) that also had a Zombie fungus attacking it. Can't remember the details, my old age is setting in.
But this is truly fascinating. Not just the fungus, but it makes me wonder if the ants somehow know this new parasite is their defense against the zombie fungus. Nature is amazing.
Glad to see stories like this on MSNBC than race bating, bipartisan bashing, skewed journalism. Keep up the REAL news Alan! Need more like this!
Hey Devin. I'm sure you'll love working with Alan.
David Hughes recently found four more species of the Cordyceps fungi so the guy is obviously the expert on the subject. It must have been very exciting for him to find the new species that counteracts the Cordyceps killing the ants.
Hello Darrah , Alan , others ....
Nice article Devin ....
This is just a tiny glimpse into the food chain ....
Parasitic wasps are just one other example of vectors or parasites attacking hosts ....
The list seems endless ....
But this is surely a unique and fascinating topic ....
Thanks again Devin Coldewey ....
"Marks have been found on fossilised leaves which suggest this ability to modify the host's behaviour evolved more than 48 million years ago.[5]"
Or it could be that the ants have doctors that learned how to cultivate an antidote that was able to save them. We humans are far to arrogant to think other species don't have the means to save their species while we on the other hand are well adapt at trying to destroy ourselves...
We know that ants have cultivated fungus as food sources for a long time now. The leaf-cutter ants, for instance, cut the leaves apart then pile them up and grow a fungus that produces sugar from them. They don't eat the leaves directly.
Ants are a very social species, and so are we. We share a passion for grooming (though humans have taken more to self-grooming, but you still usually get somebody to cut your hair, etc.), cultivation, societal living and interaction, work specialization, etc. Of course, the difference is that they are mostly a top-down society while we are more of a bottom-up type, but the results tend to be similar.
Insect colonies are often viewed as being one of the most highly developed social structures in the natural world, actually surpassing that of humans and other mammals. Human social structures are actually kind of primitive in comparison, but then again - I wouldn't want to be part of the Borg.
It's why insects and insect-like-alien species are often depicted as adversaries in movies. We have this sort of innate understanding that if human society is facing an advanced species of hive-mind society - that we would be at a severe disadvantage. The motif for victory against such odds is usually the same as well - our weakness is our strength. The adaptability and individuality out-manuevers the cold-efficiency of the hive mind...
Shuklack -
And here, I thought it was because insects have been the most successful type of animal on the planet, inhabiting every continent (and body of water) and finding niches no other animal could handle, and creating niches where there were none.
That, and they look scary.
A very interesting article.
I wonder how a human would react if they were infected with a cordyceps(that thankfully doesn't exist) that targets humans?
Not exactly scientific, but there is a new video game coming out, called "The Last Of Us," which explores that exact possibility.
Not a fungus, but we can get rabies, which attacks the brain, affects behavior causing hallucinations, salivating, agitation, and hydrophobia (fear of water).
Yea wait until they weaponize fungus, then your all @!$%#ed. Keep letting them fuk around with @!$%# like this.
too late, the zombie, brain-eating fungus has already been weaponized and released. the effects are obvious on some of the posters here...
ack!
beyond weaponization, mass production for public consumption!
http://www.springerlink.com/content/p534744765456460/?MUD=MP
serious article, but joke intended
brain eating fungus. sounds like my Ex Wife.
So thats what happen to the GOP their brains are being eaten by the tea-fugus.
Did I miss something? How exactly are these "zombie ants" fighting fungus with fungus? The article says that the second fungus is growing in ant colonies, but it doesn't say that the ants brought it there, or that they nurture it or put it into contact with fungus #1. The fungi "battle" each other, with the ants caught in between. The ants aren't fighting anything.
I say we bottle it in a military lab and use it as a bio weapon.
LOL I don't care how you slice it-I hope the three guys in white coats disinfect really, really well after playing with this stuff. Anyone still awake in science class knows about mutations. Zombies are my second favorite subject, and every time I manage to get into the mindset that science fiction cannot possibly happen-along comes zombie fungus, or a new animal kingdom (earlier this week on msnbc). All it takes is one unlikely event.
Oh what can possibly go wrong?? :)
I know, right? The two kids I sat next to in biology were always stoned on something in class. THOSE are the kind of lab guys that worry me!
I'm more interested in how we can weaponize this for use against our enemies.
Just imagine how the legitimate Gulf War, W.'s criminal invasion of Iraq, or the conflict in Afghanistan could have turned out if we could simply have dusted the area with zombie-spores. With just the right amount of genetic modification we could turn this fungus into something that makes the affected want to operate oil rigs instead of climb as high as they can...
The price of gas would be back to $1.09/gallon, there would be peace in the middle east for the first time in human history, the 1% could line their pockets, and we wouldn't have to worry about dune-billies blowing anything up any more.
This is win for human race. Get to work!
YES Mine also... Thank goodness I am prepared for a Zombie attack now but back then wow .. It's called a lawyer :)
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James-Portland-Oregon
brain eating fungus. sounds like my Ex Wife.
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So how long before the ants start inoculating themselves with the secondary fungus?