The Biology Behind Zombie-Ant Fungi

The ability to infect insects arose multiple times along the evolution of Fungi. However, none have shown such broad and sophisticated strategies to infect, persist and transmit spores than the so-called “Zombie-Ant Fungi”. These fungi evolved the ability to make their hosts to leave the colony, climb up to a summit position on plant parts and bite onto the substrate. The infected ant remains attached by locking its mandibles into the plant tissue, which is often further reinforced by fungal structures. A few days after the host’s death, the fungus erupts from their bodies to grow structures that will shower spores on the forest floor, eventually infecting new workers that forage on ground. They also developed a broad range of morphologies, adapted likely in response to the host ecology and morphology. In this talk, Joao presents how these behavior manipulators arose and which strategies they have developed in order to thrive and spread through several species, becoming a diverse fungal group.
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Torrey Botanical Society Fall 2022 Lecture Series
presented by Dr. João Araújo, Assistant Curator of Mycology, the New York Botanical Garden
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00:00 Introduction
02:41 Lecture
52:00 Q&A
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For more information on future lectures, field trips, and the Torrey Botanical Society, visit https://www.torreybotanical.org