Summit Disease Revisited Pt. 2, Ants

Images made through a microscope. All subject types.

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Ken Ramos
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Summit Disease Revisited Pt. 2, Ants

Post by Ken Ramos »

This might could go on forever...don't you think? :roll: Being somewhat zealous and at a lack for subjects, the winter season has made it somewhat convienent for me to go out and investigate the tip tops of limbs and branches, also anything slightly above ground, in search of hapless little insects that have succumbed to this disease. Though not as graphic as the grasshopper in my previous post, there are tell tale signs of the disease in this ant, which I found rigid and anchored to the stem of a Gray Dogwood twig.

I would also like to note that the reason I suspect this ant of having been infected by the fungi is that I was reading an article on the infection by Elio Schaechter and Elio states: "Many ants that normally live on the forest floor drastically change their behavior when infected by the fungi. The kind of fungi involved (often ascomycetes of the genus Cordycepts) do not develop rapidly, at least for some time. Because of this moderation, the infected ants stay alive and remain active, but alter their deportment; they acquire an urge to climb up the stalks of vegetation and trees. When reaching a certain height, they impale themselves with their mandibles and remain perched aloft for the rest of their life and thereafter." http://www.socgenmicrobiol.org.uk/pubs/ ... 080003.pdf

Okay with all that being said and out of the way here are my pics, be sure to read the link, it is most interesting. :wink:

Image
Image

Obviously this ant had been there on that twig for some time and may explain why some of the spore bearing, fruiting bodies or spikes, are gone or missing. Having read more than I thought that I would on this subject I have found that fungi and mankind have a bit in common. For example out the billions to trillions of spores released by a fungus, a mushroom for example, only one spore out of that number may germinate. Consider now the thousands, if not more, sperm cells produced by the human male. Only one will eventually fertilize the female egg cell while the others will eventually die. There are many more simularities ( hope I spelled that right) between man and fungi and for some odd reason, I get the feeling that maybe...one day they, the fungal spores, could mutate? :roll:

Anyway, the next time you dine out or even at home and you are having that fresh garden salad, think about all that sliced fungus on your plate. You may have a lot more in common with it than you suspect! :shock: :lol:

Bruce Williams
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Post by Bruce Williams »

Strange how you can go a lifetime without hearing/reading/knowing about a thing and then it crops up twice within a few weeks (bit like waiting for a bus). Anyway, I'd never come across the use of insects to spread fungal spores until I saw a recent episode of Planet Earth on TV which showed several examples of this "behaviour". See this YouTube video clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tga-UG9oUYc

Excellent photos Ken and a extremely interesting link too - thanks for posting it.

Bruce

Ken Ramos
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Post by Ken Ramos »

Bruce replied:
Excellent photos Ken and a extremely interesting link too - thanks for posting it.
Quite welcome there Bruce. You should see what I have waiting in the wings for tomorrow. I went searching for ant specimens that exhibited a much better example of the infection and pretty much hit the jackpot. Though the ants had been on the stems of the tree for sometime, they presented a profound example of the infection. :D

beetleman
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Post by beetleman »

Awesome shots Ken. I think your pictures are better than any I have seen on this subject on the net so far...good work :smt023 BRUCE...that video is great... :smt023
Take Nothing but Pictures--Leave Nothing but Footprints.
Doug Breda

Ken Ramos
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Post by Ken Ramos »

Doug said:
Awesome shots Ken. I think your pictures are better than any I have seen on this subject on the net so far...good work :smt023
Awwwe...I bet you tell that to all the members Doug :lol: Hey thanks a lot for the kudos' Doug. Like I posted to Bruce, you ain't seen nothing yet. With all this time off I have been busy looking for things stuck to stuff, even found some gum on one of my truck tires. :lol: Anyway I have pretty much used up my posts for today, I think I have one left here but I don't want to post anymore of what I have amassed without being able to present it a bit better. Wait till tomorrow. Thanks Doug! :D

MacroLuv
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Post by MacroLuv »

Great job Ken! :D :smt023
It looks like he nailed himself to that branch with his jaw.
The meaning of beauty is in sharing with others.

P.S.
Noticing of my "a" and "the" and other grammar
errors are welcome. :D

Ken Ramos
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Post by Ken Ramos »

Thanks Nikola, the article I referrenced said that they impale themselves with their mandibles after reaching suitable hight for dispersment. I guess "impale" implies the same thing, I am assuming. :D

Thomas Ashcraft
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Post by Thomas Ashcraft »

Great Science. Great pics. Thanks Ken.

Tom

Ken Ramos
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Post by Ken Ramos »

Thanks Tom! :D

MacroLuv
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Post by MacroLuv »

Ken Ramos wrote:Thanks Nikola, the article I referrenced said that they impale themselves with their mandibles after reaching suitable hight for dispersment. I guess "impale" implies the same thing, I am assuming. :D
Agree.
I was so astonished by the photographs and didn't read carefully text preceding them at that very moment I wrote my comment. :shock: :?
By the way, folks, language is a matter of change. We haven't plan for language development. So it is an evolution, depending on chance and environment. Maybe I'm contributing in it. :lol: O:)
That fungi really knows how to manipulate ants mind. 8)
The future belongs to fungi? Or it is already a fungi time. :roll: :-k
I think many things depends on fungi. Some fungi plays an important role in reproduction of orchids.
The meaning of beauty is in sharing with others.

P.S.
Noticing of my "a" and "the" and other grammar
errors are welcome. :D

Ken Ramos
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Post by Ken Ramos »

Assuming from various articles on different subjects relating to fungi, I too have ran across instances where fungi are most beneficial to plant growth and health. Usually the fungi is in a place that is inconspicuous, like the root structure of the plant, so that we seldom notice it. :D

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