神马文学网Scientific American: Parasitized Ants Get Berry Sick
来源：百度文库 编辑：神马文学网 时间：2024/04/28 19:02:15
Parasitized Ants Get Berry Sick
Anematode parasite causes ants to look like berries that birds like,putting ants on the diet and helping to spread the parasite. CynthiaGraber reports.
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When is an ant like a piece of fruit? When it’s infected by aparasite. Researchers affiliated with the Smithsonian Tropical ResearchInstitute discovered this bizarre occurrence in Central America as theywere studying the gliding ability of a certain species of ant. Theyfound some colony members with bright red swollen abdomens. Thescientists took specimens back to the lab and discovered they were fullof hundreds of nematode eggs. The bright red bellies look suspiciouslylike the brilliant red and pink berries that proliferate in therainforest.
Researchers think that the nematode makes the ant look like fruit toget birds to eat the ants. Birds usually keep the ants off their menubecause of armor and a bad chemical taste. The birds then spreadparasite eggs in their droppings. Ants forage through bird droppingsfor seeds. They feed the infected droppings to ant larvae, beginningthe infection process all over again. The red-bellied ant is the firstknown case of a parasite causing fruit mimicry. One of the researcherswas surprised that something “dumb as a nematode” can manipulate itshost in such a sophisticated way. But evolution works no matter howdumb organisms are.
--Cynthia Graber
60-Second Science is a daily podcast. Subscribe to this Podcast:RSS |iTunes
Anematode parasite causes ants to look like berries that birds like,putting ants on the diet and helping to spread the parasite. CynthiaGraber reports.
',1)">
Download
When is an ant like a piece of fruit? When it’s infected by aparasite. Researchers affiliated with the Smithsonian Tropical ResearchInstitute discovered this bizarre occurrence in Central America as theywere studying the gliding ability of a certain species of ant. Theyfound some colony members with bright red swollen abdomens. Thescientists took specimens back to the lab and discovered they were fullof hundreds of nematode eggs. The bright red bellies look suspiciouslylike the brilliant red and pink berries that proliferate in therainforest.
Researchers think that the nematode makes the ant look like fruit toget birds to eat the ants. Birds usually keep the ants off their menubecause of armor and a bad chemical taste. The birds then spreadparasite eggs in their droppings. Ants forage through bird droppingsfor seeds. They feed the infected droppings to ant larvae, beginningthe infection process all over again. The red-bellied ant is the firstknown case of a parasite causing fruit mimicry. One of the researcherswas surprised that something “dumb as a nematode” can manipulate itshost in such a sophisticated way. But evolution works no matter howdumb organisms are.
--Cynthia Graber
60-Second Science is a daily podcast. Subscribe to this Podcast:RSS |iTunes
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