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These bullet ants are showing some worrying symptoms.
這只子彈蟻正在現出令人擔憂的癥狀。
Spores from a parasitic fungus called Cordyceps have infiltrated their bodies and their minds.
一種叫做蟲草的寄生菌的孢子已經侵入了它的身心。
Its infected brain directs this ant upwards.
寄生孢子直接入侵大腦。
Then, utterly disoriented, it grips a stem with its mandibles.
失去了方向感的子彈蟻只好用下顎咬住莖。
Those afflicted that are discovered by the workers are quickly taken away and dumped far away from the colony.
這些病蟻迅速被工蟻發現并把它弄到了遠離巢穴的地方。
It seems extreme, but this is the reason why.
這看上去有些極端，不過不是沒有道理的。
Like something out of science fiction, the fruiting body of the Cordyceps erupts from the ant's head.
有幾分像科幻小說，蟲草的子實體從螞蟻腦袋里長出來。
It can take three weeks to grow, and when finished, the deadly spores will burst from its tip.
3個星期的生長期，長成后，孢子將從螞蟻的頭頂脫落。
Then any ant in the vicinity will be in serious risk of death.
然后,附近的螞蟻將面臨死亡的威脅。
The fungus is so virulent it can wipe out whole colonies of ants.
這種劇毒的菌類足以殺死整個螞蟻群落。
And it's not just ants that fall victim to this killer.
而且它們殺死的不僅僅是螞蟻。
There are literally thousands of different types of Cordyceps fungi
大約有1千種不同的有毒寄生菌，
and, remarkably, each specialises on just one species.
而且它們都歸屬于同一物種。
But these attacks do have a positive effect on the jungle's diversity,
這種攻擊對雨林生物多樣性起肯定作用
since parasites like these stop any one group of animal getting the upper hand.
這種寄生蟲能阻止某種生物種群的優勢。
The more numerous a species becomes, the more likely it will be attacked by its nemesis, a Cordyceps fungus.
越多的物種產生，就會遭到越多的寄生菌攻擊。
