- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
That's the title of the next UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology seminar, to be presented Wednesday, Jan. 27 by assistant professor Charissa de Bekker of the University of Central Florida (UCF). The virtual seminar begins qt 4:10 p.m. Access this Google form link to join the seminar on Zoom.
"My lab studies parasites that change the behavior of their hosts," she writes on her website. "Nature harbors quite some bizarre examples of parasites that evolved the ability manipulate. These manipulations range from slightly altered existing behaviors to the establishment of completely novel ones that are not part of the host's regular repertoire."
"One of the most dramatic examples of the latter is that of the zombie ants. Here, a fungal parasite takes control of the behavior of a Carpenter ant, guiding it up the vegetation where it latches on in a final death grip. Working across various disciplines within the broad field of biology we use this parasite-host interaction as a model system to ask the question how a microbe can control an animal's brain to change the behavioral output so precisely. In addition, we know very little about how behavior in general is regulated. Our research will therefore not only inform us about the mechanisms that these parasites use to manipulate their hosts, but ultimately also give an important insight into the regulation of behavior in general."
De Bekker holds a five-year $970,000 National Science Foundation grant to study "parasitic fungi that hijack behaviors of their hosts."
A member of the UCF faculty since 2016, she received three degrees in biology from Utrecht University, The Netherlands: her bachelor's degree in 2004; her master's degree in 2006, and her doctorate in 2011. She specialized in molecular microbiology. She did postdoctoral research at the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, from April 2011 to July 2012, and then served as a postdoctoral Marie Curie Fellow and Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow at Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany, before joining UCF. (See lab website)
Agricultural Extension specialist Ian Grettenberger of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology is coordinating the weekly seminars. He may be reached at imgrettenberger@ucdavis.edu
Media Coverage of Zombie Ant Research (Partial List):
- Five-Year Grant Will Deepen Research Into ‘Zombie Ants' (COS News, Feb. 26, 2020)
- The Science Behind Zombie Ants (UCF Today, Oct. 21, 2019)
- How a Parasitic Fungus Turns Ants Into 'Zombies' (National Geographic, April 18, 2019)
- The Science of Zombies: Will the Undead Rise? (Phys.Org, Nov. 1, 2019
Read National Public Radio's coverage of Zombie research (Oct. 31, 2019).
Further reading: How the Zombie Fungus Takes Over Ants' Bodies to Control Their Minds (The Atlantic, Nov. 14, 2017
See UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology website for list of other seminar speakers for the winter quarter
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
His seminar is from 12:10 to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 26 in 122 Briggs. Host is assistant professor Joanna Chiu. Plans call for his seminar to be recorded for later viewing on UCTV.
"Complex manipulation of host behavior by parasites is among the most impressive examples of organic selection," Hughes says in his abstract. "This is especially true where the parasite is a microbe and the host an animal; or put another way, when the one without the brain controls the one with the brain. In this talk I provide an overview of our research on ant behavior controlled by Ophiocordyceps fungi. Building on eight years of work in seven countries on five continents, I present our work across scales from continental biogeography to single celled transcriptomics, from spatial ecology to network dynamics. At is core my work is about discovery and emphasizes the enormous lack of knowledge we still have for many complex interactions in nature."
Hughes is broadly interested in parasites and behavior; especially in situations where the host is social. He moved to Pennsylvania State in April 2011, where he is part of the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics.
Hughes said he likes different approaches. Much of his work has been in the field: he has worked in 11 countries on five continents and his lab currently works in North America, South America, Australia, and Southeast Asia. His lab integrates field-based natural history with lab experiments to explore the proximate and ultimate causes of behavioral manipulation. David is also interested in the applied aspects of his work- including both global food security (PlantVillage) and engaging the public through science outreach (Epidemics online course).
Hughes received his bachelor's degree in zoology from the University of Glasgow in 1999, and his doctorate in entomology in 2003 from the University of Oxford. Among his fellowships and prizes:
- 2008-2011: Marie Curie International Outgoing Fellowship (Harvard & Exeter)
- 2006-2008: Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship (Copenhagen)
- 2004: Varley-Gradwell Travelling Fellowship in Insect Ecology (Oxford)
- 1999-2003: Hope Studentship in Entomology (Oxford)
- 1999: Graham Kerr Prize in Zoology (Glasgow)
His work appears in many peer-reviewed journals and in the popular press. Parasite proponent Carl Zimmer wrote about his work in his Discovery Magazine blog and Susan Milius wrote a ScienceNews piece. His work also drew Scientific American coverage.
Among his publications:
Loreto RG, Hart A, Pereira TM, Freitas ML, Hughes DP, Elliot SL (2013) Foraging ants trade off further for faster: use of natural bridges and trunk-trail permanency in carpenter ants. Naturwissenschaften Vol 100 Issue 10 pp 957-963 (PDF)
de Bekker, C. Smith, P. Patterson, A.D and D.P. Hughes (2013) Metabolomics reveals the heterogeneous secretome of two entomopathogenic fungi to ex vivo cultured insect tissues PloS One 8(8): e70609. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0070609 (Link)
Maure, F. Brodeur, J. Hughes, D.P. and F. Thomas (2013) How much energy should manipulative parasites leave to their hosts to ensure altered behaviours? Journal of Experimental Biology 2012 216: 43-6. (Link)
Maure, F. Brodeur, J. Hughes, D.P. and F. Thomas (2013) How much energy should manipulative parasites leave to their hosts to ensure altered behaviours? Journal of Experimental Biology 2012 216: 43-6. (Link)
Hughes, D.P. (2013) Pathways to understanding the extended phenotype of parasites in their hosts Journal of Experimental Biology 216:142-147 (Link)
Hughes, D.P. Parasites and the Superogranism (2012). In Host Manipulation by Parasites Edited by David P. Hughes, Jacques Brodeur, and Frédéric Thomas (PDF)
Andersen SB, Ferrari M, Evans HC, Elliot SL, Boomsma JJ, and D.P. Hughes (2012) Disease Dynamics in a Specialized Parasite of Ant Societies. PLoS ONE 7(5): e36352. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0036352 (PDF)
Andersen SB and D.P. Hughes (2012) Host specificity of parasite manipulation –zombie ant death location in Thailand vs. Brazil Communicative & Integrative Biology 5:2, 1–3; March/April (PDF)
Harry C. Evans, Simon L. Elliot and David P. Hughes (2011) Ophiocordyceps unilateralis: A keystone species for unraveling ecosystem functioning and biodiversity of fungi in tropical forests? Communicative & Integrative Biology 4:5, 598-602 (Link)