How a Tiny Parasite Can Turn Ants Into Zombies

Monday - September 18 2023, 08:17 UTC - 1 year ago

A new study has revealed a parasite known as the lancet liver fluke that turns ants into zombies, manipulating their behavior. This flatworm infects the brains of ants and makes them climb up blades of grass where they are likely to be eaten by other animals, thus completing its life cycle. Furthermore, it can sense the temperature and adjust the ant's behavior accordingly. The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Copenhagen, was published in the journal Behavioral Ecology.

A new study has revealed the remarkable ability of a parasite that can turn ants into zombies and manipulate their behavior. The lancet liver fluke, a tiny flatworm that infects the brains of ants, can make them climb up and latch onto blades of grass, where they are more likely to be eaten by cattle or deer. This is how the parasite completes its life cycle and infects its next host.

But the parasite is not just a mindless puppeteer. It can also sense the temperature and adjust the ant’s behavior accordingly. When it gets too hot, the parasite makes the ant crawl back down to avoid dehydration and death. This way, it ensures its own survival and increases the chances of transmission.

The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, was published in the journal Behavioral Ecology. The researchers tagged hundreds of infected ants in a forest near Roskilde, Denmark, and observed their movements in relation to various environmental factors.

Zombie switch .

Associate Professor Brian Lund Fredensborg and former graduate student Simone Nordstrand Gasque, who is currently a Ph.D. student at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, led a study that discovered a distinct correlation between temperature and ant behavior. Fredensborg humorously referred to this discovery as identifying the ants' "zombie switch." .

The researchers explain that only one parasite invades the ant’s brain, while hundreds of others hide in its abdomen. The brain parasite sacrifices itself for the others, who are protected by a capsule that shields them from the stomach acid of the next host.

Fredensborg explains that in certain environments, hundreds of liver flukes may be present, encapsulated to protect themselves from the stomach acid of future hosts. These liver flukes rely on ants to carry them to their next host. Interestingly, the liver fluke that manipulates the ant eventually dies, effectively sacrificing itself to benefit the others.

The liver fluke can cause liver damage in animals that are infected with many parasites, as they move around the host’s liver and bile ducts.

The researchers note that parasites that alter animal behavior are more common and influential than many people think. They say that understanding these creatures is important for biodiversity and ecology.

Fredensborg asserts that parasites have traditionally received limited attention, despite scientific evidence suggesting that parasitism is the most prevalent form of life. This lack of focus is partially because parasites are challenging to research. However, Fredensborg emphasizes the crucial role that parasites play in biodiversity. By influencing the behavior of their hosts, they can significantly affect food chains and ecosystems, making them important to understand.

The lancet liver fluke is widespread in Denmark and other temperate regions worldwide. The researcher and his colleagues will continue to investigate the parasite, and exactly how it takes over an ant’s brain.

Fredensborg concludes that researchers have determined temperature plays a key role in when a pa .