Behavioral mechanisms and morphological symptoms of zombie ants dying from fungal infection

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Standard

Behavioral mechanisms and morphological symptoms of zombie ants dying from fungal infection. / Hughes, David P; Andersen, Sandra B; Hywel-Jones, Nigel L; Himaman, Winanda; Billen, Johan; Boomsma, Jacobus J.

In: B M C Ecology, Vol. 11, No. 13, 2011, p. 13.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Harvard

Hughes, DP, Andersen, SB, Hywel-Jones, NL, Himaman, W, Billen, J & Boomsma, JJ 2011, 'Behavioral mechanisms and morphological symptoms of zombie ants dying from fungal infection', B M C Ecology, vol. 11, no. 13, pp. 13. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6785-11-13

APA

Hughes, D. P., Andersen, S. B., Hywel-Jones, N. L., Himaman, W., Billen, J., & Boomsma, J. J. (2011). Behavioral mechanisms and morphological symptoms of zombie ants dying from fungal infection. B M C Ecology, 11(13), 13. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6785-11-13

Vancouver

Hughes DP, Andersen SB, Hywel-Jones NL, Himaman W, Billen J, Boomsma JJ. Behavioral mechanisms and morphological symptoms of zombie ants dying from fungal infection. B M C Ecology. 2011;11(13):13. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6785-11-13

Author

Hughes, David P ; Andersen, Sandra B ; Hywel-Jones, Nigel L ; Himaman, Winanda ; Billen, Johan ; Boomsma, Jacobus J. / Behavioral mechanisms and morphological symptoms of zombie ants dying from fungal infection. In: B M C Ecology. 2011 ; Vol. 11, No. 13. pp. 13.

Bibtex

@article{331e67f94849452fbd8ba64801a7154c,
title = "Behavioral mechanisms and morphological symptoms of zombie ants dying from fungal infection",
abstract = "Parasites that manipulate host behavior can provide prominent examples of extended phenotypes: parasite genomes controlling host behavior. Here we focus on one of the most dramatic examples of behavioral manipulation, the death grip of ants infected by Ophiocordyceps fungi. We studied the interaction between O. unilateralis s.l. and its host ant Camponotus leonardi in a Thai rainforest, where infected ants descend from their canopy nests down to understory vegetation to bite into abaxial leaf veins before dying. 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. Here we address whether the sequence of ant behaviors leading to the final death grip can also be interpreted as parasite adaptations and describe some of the morphological changes inside the heads of infected workers that mediate the expression of the death grip phenotype.",
keywords = "Animals, Ants, Behavior, Animal, Host-Parasite Interactions, Hypocreales, Mycoses, Thailand",
author = "Hughes, {David P} and Andersen, {Sandra B} and Hywel-Jones, {Nigel L} and Winanda Himaman and Johan Billen and Boomsma, {Jacobus J}",
year = "2011",
doi = "10.1186/1472-6785-11-13",
language = "English",
volume = "11",
pages = "13",
journal = "BMC Ecology",
issn = "1472-6785",
publisher = "BioMed Central Ltd.",
number = "13",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Behavioral mechanisms and morphological symptoms of zombie ants dying from fungal infection

AU - Hughes, David P

AU - Andersen, Sandra B

AU - Hywel-Jones, Nigel L

AU - Himaman, Winanda

AU - Billen, Johan

AU - Boomsma, Jacobus J

PY - 2011

Y1 - 2011

N2 - Parasites that manipulate host behavior can provide prominent examples of extended phenotypes: parasite genomes controlling host behavior. Here we focus on one of the most dramatic examples of behavioral manipulation, the death grip of ants infected by Ophiocordyceps fungi. We studied the interaction between O. unilateralis s.l. and its host ant Camponotus leonardi in a Thai rainforest, where infected ants descend from their canopy nests down to understory vegetation to bite into abaxial leaf veins before dying. 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. Here we address whether the sequence of ant behaviors leading to the final death grip can also be interpreted as parasite adaptations and describe some of the morphological changes inside the heads of infected workers that mediate the expression of the death grip phenotype.

AB - Parasites that manipulate host behavior can provide prominent examples of extended phenotypes: parasite genomes controlling host behavior. Here we focus on one of the most dramatic examples of behavioral manipulation, the death grip of ants infected by Ophiocordyceps fungi. We studied the interaction between O. unilateralis s.l. and its host ant Camponotus leonardi in a Thai rainforest, where infected ants descend from their canopy nests down to understory vegetation to bite into abaxial leaf veins before dying. 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. Here we address whether the sequence of ant behaviors leading to the final death grip can also be interpreted as parasite adaptations and describe some of the morphological changes inside the heads of infected workers that mediate the expression of the death grip phenotype.

KW - Animals

KW - Ants

KW - Behavior, Animal

KW - Host-Parasite Interactions

KW - Hypocreales

KW - Mycoses

KW - Thailand

U2 - 10.1186/1472-6785-11-13

DO - 10.1186/1472-6785-11-13

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 21554670

VL - 11

SP - 13

JO - BMC Ecology

JF - BMC Ecology

SN - 1472-6785

IS - 13

ER -

ID: 40349916