The BBC’s Winterwatch documentary team found a rare Metellina Merianae -type cave spider. The spider’s body was covered with coral -like protrusions.
The Numune was sent to a team led by mycologist Harry Evans from the International Center of Agriculture and BiBilim.
Scientists, who gathered additional examples from various caves in Ireland, identified that mushrooms are a new species and named him the name of the natural historian Sir David Attenborough and named like Gibellula Attenboroughii.
Researchers, mushrooms M. Merianae and European cave spider meta menardi found on the found. These spiders are usually hidden by hiding close to their networks.
However, it was observed that individuals infected with mushrooms were directed to the cave ceilings that they normally stay away from.
This is similar to the “zombie” behavior exhibited by ants caught in the OphiocordyCeps mushroom in Brazil’s Atlantic Rain Forests.
Researchers think that the mushrooms lead them to the more open spaces by seizing the nervous system of spiders.
“The fact that the spiders infected with Gibellula are seen on the cave ceilings show that the mushroom causes a behavioral change,” said researchers, said that this position can facilitate the spread of fungal sports with air currents.
It takes different shapes in different environments
Genetic analysis showed that mushroom samples in the caves and gunpowder warehouse belong to the same species. However, it was found that they took different shapes according to their environment.
For example, in the gunpowder warehouse without air flow, it was observed that sports turned into column -like forms and the lack of light caused the mushroom to lose color.
On the other hand, it was thought that air currents in caves contributed to the spread of sports.
New Species can be discovered
Researchers, similar mushrooms are detected in Wales and infected spiders are seen in areas where there are no caves, he says.
This shows that the mushroom can also live in areas covered with rocky slits or algae.
Scientists studying past research think that more types of mushrooms in the British Islands expect to be discovered.
The study was published in Fungal Systems and Evolution.
