conunundrum:Ophiocordyceps unilateralis Also known as ‘zombie fungus’, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis i
conunundrum:Ophiocordyceps unilateralis Also known as ‘zombie fungus’, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis is an insect-pathogenising fungus affecting insects such as ants of the Camponotini tribe and others pictured above. The spores of the fungus attach to the ant, eventually breaking through the exoskeleton using mechanical pressure and enzymes. It then manipulates the behavioural patterns of the insect. An infected insect exhibits irregularly timed full body convulsions that dislodge it to the forest floor. The insect climbs up the stem of a plant and uses its mandibles with abnormal force to secure itself to a leaf vein, leaving dumbbell-shaped marks on it. The insect is no longer able to control the muscles of the mandible and will remain fixed in place. This lockjaw trait is popularly known as the death grip, and is essential in the fungus’s lifecycle. The fungus then kills the insect, and continues to grow as its hyphae invade more soft tissues and structurally fortify the insect’s exoskeleton. More mycelia then sprout out of the insect, and securely anchor it to the plant substrate while secreting antimicrobials to ward off competition. When the fungus is ready to reproduce, its fruiting bodies grow from the insect’s head and rupture, releasing the spores. This process takes four to ten days. (x) -- source link