The microbial warfare

Sehej Kapur, AIS Mayur Vihar, VII D

Deep in the humid understory of tropical rainforests, a chilling drama unfolds – one that could rival any horror film. It stars an unsuspecting ant and a sinister fungal parasite with a flair for mind control. This is the story of Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, better known as the zombie ant fungus.

Conjuring ants
As the name suggests, the zombie ant fungus is a parasitic organism that infects ants to manipulate their behaviour in a sinister act of mind control. Once inside, it spreads through the ant’s body and takes charge of its muscles, forcing it to climb plants and bite onto a leaf or twig in what’s called a ‘death grip’.

The origins
It thrives in humid environments of tropical rainforests in South America, Southeast Asia and Africa. After killing the ant, the fungus uses the host’s body as a nutrient source. It grows a stalk from the back of its head and releases spores into the environment - often directly onto the forest floor, so they come into contact with other ants. The fungus helps control ant populations and supporting biodiversity.

Real-life zombies?
The fungus’ life cycle is closely tied to the behaviour and biology of the ants, making it a perfect example of nature’s ‘zombies.’ Although it is shown that humans can be infected by the zombie ants in the game and series ‘The Last of Us’, it is far from true. The fungus cannot survive the high internal body temperature of humans. Though similar species can infect insects such as spiders, and moths.

Fun-gi facts
The fungus doesn’t control the ant’s brain, it floods its body with chemicals and takes over its muscles. The ant isn’t ‘aware’ of what’s happening, but can no longer be the conductor of its orchestra. Nature’s horror story, indeed!