Fungus turns Amazonian ants into zombies

Researchers combing the rainforests of Brazil have uncovered four new species of fungi that turns ants into zombies.

Although it is not the first time the fungi has been seen affecting ants, the discovery of four distinct species in close proximity highlights the level of biodiversity in the Amazon.

Their study appears online in the journal PLoS One.

The research, led by Assistant Professor David Hughes of the University of Pennsylvannia, identified and described the parasitic fungus Ophiocordyceps unliateralis living on four species of carpenter ant (Camponotini sp.) in the Zona da Mata region of Brazil.

Ants become infected when they come into contact with spores released by the fungus. Within a week the ant enters a zombie-like state.

“This so-called zombie or brain-manipulating fungus alters the behaviours of the ant host, causing it to die in an exposed position, typically clinging onto and biting the adaxial surface of shrub leaves,” the study authors write.

The fungus then grows out of the head of the ant, releasing spores into the air, which rain down onto unsuspecting ants and the forest floor.

In 2009, Hughes led a team of researchers studying zombie-ants in Indonesia. They found the infected ants consistently attached to leaves 25 centimetres above the ground in an environment with 95 per cent humidity - perfect conditions for the fungus to grow.

In the current study, Hughes and colleagues found each species of fungus was different in size and shape, and adapted to live only in one particular species.

Two of the species of fungus have also adapted to grow secondary spores, doubling their chances of finding a new host.

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