Following this thread of how parasites affect there host is quite
interesting.
It has been know for a long time that certain Insect pathogenic fungi
cause "new" behaviors in infected hosts. For example one Entomaphaga
grilli, a fungi that infects grasshoppers, causes the infected host to
climb. The infected grasshoppers end up climbing & slowing down until
many dead sporulating grasshoppers are waving around on blades of
grass above a field. This behavior assists the spread of new fungal
spores as they rain down from above.
It is quite spectacular to see a field of grasshopper cadavers
covering the tall grass of a field that is undergoing an epizootic.
Now it is thought that maybe the sick insects, feeling sick, try to
orient to the sun to eliminate the infection by basking. This has
been shown because the elevated temperature is not advantageous to the
fungus & assists the grasshoppers immune system to overcome the
infection.
We still have a long way to go to really understand host/pathogen/
parasite interactions & how insects can detect & interact with
themselves & their environment. I'm betting that there is a lot more
there than we think!
Mike
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