ants metaformation
February 1, 2008 at 11:50 am | In ants, changing, metaformation, parasites | Leave a CommentTags: birds, disease, infections, Insects, Science, search, study, web
Parasites occasionally change the behavior or looks of their host, but a nasty tropical nematode alters both, making its ant host’s parasite-filled abdomen resemble a ripe red berry. According to UC Berkeley and Univ. of Arkansas biologists, this behavior is a strategy the nematode evolved to entice birds to eat the ant’s abdomen and
spread the parasite in their droppings.
A newly discovered parasite so dramatically transforms its host, an ant, that the ant comes to resemble a juicy red berry, ripe for picking, according to a report accepted for publication in The American Naturalist. This is the first example of fruit mimicry caused by a parasite .
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