Abstract
Ophiocordyceps is a genus of pathogenic fungi, which predominantly parasitise insects. This study investigates the spatial dynamics of zombie ant graveyards, and explores the optimal height for Ophiocordyceps unilateralis spore dispersal in a Bornean rainforest. While there is considerable research derived from alternative tropical regions, there is limited documentation of Ophiocordyceps fungi in Borneo. This paper aims to build on the current body of knowledge, focusing on the spatial dynamics of zombie ant graveyards, and in particular the height at which infected ants are found. In the present study, an area of Gunung Mulu National Park was searched for O. unilateralis-infected ants. Once an infected ant was located, the surrounding area was methodically searched to allow for the height and location of all surrounding ants to be recorded. Infected ants were found at variable heights between the four sites (means of 28.9–57.6 cm) above the expected height laid out in similar studies (approximately 25 cm). It is suggested that these heights may correspond to locations at which temperature and humidity are optimal for spore dispersal and fungal growth and that these heights differ depending on unique features of the environment.
Highlights
Tropical regions are characterised by their high temperature and rainfall, with limited seasonality, as well as their remarkably high diversity (Brown, 2014)
Numerous hypotheses have been proposed to explain the Latitudinal Diversity Gradient (LDG), with research largely suggesting that tropical conditions result in high productivity, allowing for a higher species richness to be maintained as more species are able to obtain suf cient resources (Brown, 2014; Fittkau and Klinge, 1973; Phillips et al, 1994)
The study was conducted in a tropical dipterocarp forest within Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak, Borneo at an altitude of approximately 50m
Summary
Tropical regions are characterised by their high temperature and rainfall, with limited seasonality, as well as their remarkably high diversity (Brown, 2014). Numerous hypotheses have been proposed to explain the LDG, with research largely suggesting that tropical conditions result in high productivity, allowing for a higher species richness to be maintained as more species are able to obtain suf cient resources (Brown, 2014; Fittkau and Klinge, 1973; Phillips et al, 1994) This high density and diversity of organisms seen in the tropics is notable in the case of invertebrates, with researchers observing a signi cantly higher density of invertebrates per unit area relative to temperate and polar regions (Fittkau and Klinge, 1973). Ants are parasitised by invertebrates such as Polyergus breviceps, trematodes including Dicrocoelium dendriticum, and fungi such as Ophiocordyceps (Araújo et al, 2018; Martín-Vega et al, 2018; Torres and Tsutsui, 2016)
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