Amazon fungus that turns ants into 'zombies' also lives hidden in moss

Scientists studying the Amazon’s “zombie-ant” fungus have uncovered a previously unknown phase of its life cycle within mosses. DNA analysis of mosses collected at the Adolpho Ducke Forest Reserve near Manaus showed the presence of Ophiocordyceps species that normally manipulate ants to bite vegetation before dying. The fungus appeared in moss samples taken over 10 metres from any infected ant, implying it lives broadly as an endophyte in bryophytes.

Using metabarcoding, the researchers identified multiple ant-specific fungal lineages, including those that target Camponotus nidulans and Cephalotes atratus. Lead author Tales Alves Jr. and co-author João Paulo Machado de Araújo argue that the plant-fungus relationship may be integral to the manipulation of ants. The findings, published in IMA Fungus, suggest a more complex ecological network involving plants, insects and microbes in the rainforest.