Title |
Disease Dynamics in a Specialized Parasite of Ant Societies
|
---|---|
Published in |
PLOS ONE, May 2012
|
DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0036352 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Sandra B. Andersen, Matthew Ferrari, Harry C. Evans, Simon L. Elliot, Jacobus J. Boomsma, David P. Hughes |
Abstract |
Coevolution between ant colonies and their rare specialized parasites are intriguing, because lethal infections of workers may correspond to tolerable chronic diseases of colonies, but the parasite adaptations that allow stable coexistence with ants are virtually unknown. We explore the trade-offs experienced by Ophiocordyceps parasites manipulating ants into dying in nearby graveyards. We used field data from Brazil and Thailand to parameterize and fit a model for the growth rate of graveyards. We show that parasite pressure is much lower than the abundance of ant cadavers suggests and that hyperparasites often castrate Ophiocordyceps. However, once fruiting bodies become sexually mature they appear robust. Such parasite life-history traits are consistent with iteroparity--a reproductive strategy rarely considered in fungi. We discuss how tropical habitats with high biodiversity of hyperparasites and high spore mortality has likely been crucial for the evolution and maintenance of iteroparity in parasites with low dispersal potential. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 3 | 17% |
Argentina | 1 | 6% |
Australia | 1 | 6% |
United Kingdom | 1 | 6% |
France | 1 | 6% |
Japan | 1 | 6% |
Singapore | 1 | 6% |
Unknown | 9 | 50% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 13 | 72% |
Scientists | 3 | 17% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | 6% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 1 | 6% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 5 | 3% |
Brazil | 4 | 3% |
Austria | 2 | 1% |
Japan | 2 | 1% |
United Kingdom | 2 | 1% |
Netherlands | 1 | <1% |
Korea, Republic of | 1 | <1% |
France | 1 | <1% |
India | 1 | <1% |
Other | 6 | 4% |
Unknown | 128 | 84% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Bachelor | 30 | 20% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 27 | 18% |
Student > Master | 27 | 18% |
Researcher | 24 | 16% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 7 | 5% |
Other | 22 | 14% |
Unknown | 16 | 10% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 87 | 57% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 12 | 8% |
Environmental Science | 8 | 5% |
Immunology and Microbiology | 5 | 3% |
Neuroscience | 3 | 2% |
Other | 16 | 10% |
Unknown | 22 | 14% |