Among the winners of the BMC Ecology and Evolution photography competition, a striking photo has been recognized. Captured by evolutionary biologist Roberto García-Roa, the image portrays a large spider engulfed by a parasitic fungus, leading to spores bursting from its legs, head, and back. The image earned the distinction of being a runner-up in the Plants and Fungi category.
Zombie Fungi Burst From the Spider's Back
García-Roa explained in a BMC Ecology and Evolution editorial released on Friday, August 18, that it is common for insects to encounter zombie fungi, but it is rare to witness larger spiders falling victim to these parasitic fungal conquerors. He further described how, in the heart of the jungle near a stream, evidence remains of an evolutionary conquest spanning countless years.
Numerous species of fungi are recognized for their ability to parasitize spiders, and instances of parasites emerging from deceased arachnids have been observed worldwide. The majority of these species are classified within the Cordycipitaceae and Ophiocordycipitaceae families.
Although the specific spider and fungus featured in García-Roa's photograph remain unidentified, the fungus seems to have infiltrated the host spider, exerting control over its body.
The BMC Ecology and Evolution photography competition provides a global platform for researchers to submit images capturing the natural world's essence. The winning entry in the Plants and Fungi category depicts an ant ensnared by a zombie fungus, Ophiocordyceps, which is itself being parasitized by another fungus.
Ophiocordyceps is renowned for its ability to convert ants into zombies, manipulating their bodies before their demise, thriving in forests alongside mycoparasitic fungi. These fungi can parasitize, consume, and even sterilize Ophiocordyceps.
Photographer João Araújo, a mycologist at the New York Botanical Garden, emphasizes that these forests, where such intricate interactions occur, have only recently begun to unveil their cryptic fungal inhabitants, illuminating the complex dynamics of fungal warfare.
In 2022, the competition's overall winner featured the invasive orange pore fungus (Favolaschia calocera), initially discovered in Madagascar and subsequently spreading globally. The image showcases the fungus thriving on deceased wood within the Australian rainforest.
Parasitic Fungus Turns Ants Into Zombies
The Ophiocordyceps unilateralis fungus targets foraging ants in tropical forests, infecting them through spores that infiltrate their exoskeleton, subsequently altering their behavior.
As the infection progresses, the manipulated ants are driven to seek a humid environment suitable for the fungus's growth, eventually leading them to bite into a leaf vein on a plant's north side and await their demise.
The fungus exploits ants in a multi-stage process, ultimately leading to their death and subsequent fungal propagation. After infecting ants through spores that infiltrate their exoskeleton, the fungus consumes the ant's internal organs and later emerges from the ant's head, releasing spores to infect new ants.
This intriguing phenomenon intrigues researchers and the public alike. Infected ants exhibit no immediate signs of illness, and their interaction contradicts typical social insect behavior. While the infection is lethal, its purpose is to regulate host populations to maintain ecosystem balance, affecting only a small portion of the ant colony at any given time.
RELATED ARTICLE: 'The Last of Us' Zombie Fungus Is Real! Should Humans Worry About Ophiocordyceps?
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