![]() ![]() In the outdoor experiment, a higher number of infected mantids entered the deep pool that strongly reflected horizontal light than the shallow pool that reflected weakly polarized light.A two-choice experiment conducted in a laboratory revealed that a higher percentage of mantids infected by a hairworm were attracted by horizontally polarized light *1 compared to uninfected individuals. ![]() How the hairworm causes its host to enter the water has mystified researchers for over 100 years.When the hairworm reaches maturity, it induces the host to enter water (including ponds and rivers), where the hairworm breeds, thus completing its life cycle. The hairworm parasite lives inside the body of an insect host (such as mantids and crickets) that typically inhabits forests and grasslands.These research findings were published in the American scientific journal ‘ Current Biology’ on June 21, 2021. CHIU Ming-Chung (National Changhua University of Education, Taiwan). This discovery was made by an international research group consisting of Graduate student OBAYASHI Nasono, Associate Professor SAKURA Midori and Associate Professor SATO Takuya of Kobe University’s Graduate School of Science, Associate Professor IWATANI Yasushi (Faculty of Science and Technology, Hirosaki University), Professor TAMOTSU Satoshi (KYOUSEI Science Center for Life and Nature, Nara Women’s University) and Dr. In a world-first, these research results demonstrate that parasites can manipulate the host’s specific light perception system to their advantage, causing the host to behave in an abnormal manner. Researchers have revealed that praying mantis (mantids) infected with parasitic hairworms are attracted to horizontally polarized light that is strongly reflected off the surface of water, which causes them to enter the water.
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