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Birds are utilitarian creatures: they are part of the ecosystem, being essential to the food web as a predator (check out this past BIOTA blog post: http://biotatvorg.tumblr.com/post/141085388130/what-to-do-with-squirrel-phds-in-ecosystem) or important prey to animals.

They are also important to other animals by getting rid of an itch. You’ve seen the following scenes before, either on animal shows or movies

Or maybe this hilarious scene. (“Lion King,” anyone?)

All credit goes to Disney.

Okay so maybe a rhino wouldn’t sit on a bird. 

But we all recognize these scenes: a grazing water buffalo/ rhino/ hippopotamus with some small birds on top of it. 

What the heck are those birds?

Most likely, those birds are oxpeckers. The oxpecker is a bird that belongs to the family Buphagidae. There are two species of oxpecker: red-billed and yellow-billed oxpecker. They can be found only in the Sub-Saharan Africa (endemic species for Sub-Saharan Africa). Oxpeckers inhabit the open savannas, grassy plains and areas with scattered shrubs.

Why do they linger on large mammals? Well, like any other animal living in the desert, they’re trying to get a meal. Their meals of choice include ticks, flies, lice, worms that can be found on the fur of large mammals like buffaloes, giraffes, and large antelopes. 

Oh yeah, and throw in a side of earwax for the oxpecker.  Scientists believe they use bacteria from the ear wax to facilitate digestion.  Also, ear wax is presumably high in energy.

Through this mutualistic relationship, the oxpecker gets a meal and it’s choice large mammal gets rid of an itch. By removing the animal’s parasites such as ticks and lice , as well as gobbling up its earwax and grease, the oxpecker helps greatly cut short the animal’s grooming time and effort, making for CHOICE SALON service!

But, Do Oxpeckers Seek something MORE?....than being a rosy pamperer? 

Though commonly called tick-birds, scientists have nicknamed oxpeckers ‘VAMPIRE BIRD.’  Recent research shows that in addition to supporting their host’s good hygiene, they also trim (snip) or peck at wounds on their hosts’ hides , potentially harming their host as they delay the healing process and attract more parasites to the area.  Studies have shown that the oxpecker’s favored food is blood, taken directly from a wound or in the form of a tick engorged in blood.  And it is the female tick they prey on since only the female bugs balloon themselves with host-blood.

This kind of vampyric behaviors has cracked open a debate on whether the oxpecker is more of a hindrance than a help and if it can be named a bonafide PARASITE.   

“I vant to suck your blood...”

So, as iconic as they are on the African Savannah seemingly just hitching a ride on an oxen’s back, there’s more to the red-eyed oxpecker.  Mutualist? Parasite?

Check out more evidence of vampires amongst our winged friends from this scientific article:

Weeks, P., 2000. Red-billed oxpeckers: vampires or tickbirds?. Behavioral Ecology, 11(2), pp.154-160.

Speaking of symbiotic relationships, we asked Danielle Bermudez, a Ph.D. Student from the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts at the University of California, Merced, for her take on symbiosis.

What is/are your current occupation(s), vocation(s), proclivities and hobbies: I am currently a Ph.D. student in the Interdisciplinary Humanities program at UC Merced. I earned my B.A. in Feminist Studies from UC Santa Barbara. I enjoy hiking, photography, and hanging out with my rabbit Peanut. How did you hear about BIOTA and what interests you about the program? I first heard about BIOTA from a fellow graduate student at UC Merced, Sabah, who presented about her research during our university's second annual GradSlam competition. Later, Sabah held an event on campus for the premiere of BIOTA's episode on the Vernal Pools in Merced, CA. It was really cool to see the project bring science and the humanities together to engage our local community with academia. What symbiotic relationships; parasitic, mutual and/or commensal rivets you and why? Symbiosis is such a beautiful relationship. We all depend on each other in one way or another. As an example, human breast milk contains oligosaccharides, short chains of sugar molecules that provide no nutritional benefit to babies. So, why do mothers spend energy making these molecules? It's to feed microbes that are important for the baby's developing immune system. Microbes are essential for many organisms' basic functions.

We’ve probably caught word of zombie ants, but have you ever heard of zombie snails? 

Illustration Credit: Tommy Leung

The zombie ant is taken over by a parasitic fungus belonging to the Ophiocordyceps genus. The zombie snail (Succinea putris), on the other hand, is manipulated by Leucochloridium paradoxum. The flatworm species uses the snail to complete its life cycle in birds.

Parasites and host manipulation practically go hand in hand. In the instance of the zombie snail, the green-branded broodsac (Leucochloridium paradoxum) is picked up as sporocyst (initial life stage) during snail feeding. The broodsac then travels to the eye stalks of the snail and slowly grows into hundreds and of cercariae (worms) that collectively resemble a large, pulsating maggot. A bird’s attention is automatically drawn to the eye stalks. The bird swoops down to grab the snail, allowing the broodsac to complete its life cycle and start all over again. Recent studies have even proved that the parasitic flatworms go far beyond making the eyestalks of their snail hosts pulsate like maggots; they change their behavior too. Infected snails were found to travel farther and expose themselves in the open more frequently than healthy snails. How can something so small know how to alter the behavior of a host magnitudes larger?! The answer to such a question remains mostly a mystery, which is why many scientists have taken an interest in host-parasite research. Who knows what little guys could be controlling us!

We asked Ashley Elizabeth Jolin, an Academic Program Manager at the University of Utah Honors College and one of our followers, her thoughts on the subject.

Tell us a little bit about you and how came about your work. I came about my work through the University of Utah employment website. After having the privileged undergraduate experience with the Honors College and other like organizations on campus, I was uniquely qualified to manage the Honors College curriculum and non-curricular programs. What is BIOTA to you and why is it of interest? BIOTA is a space for communities to come together and learn about each other through commonalities. I believe community strength comes through connections and encounters - the more we break down community walls, the more we can focus on issues that truly matter. What does “symbiosis” mean to you? It means a mutually beneficial relationship. Ever heard of zombie snails?  I have no current knowledge on zombie snails. What would you do if you were to find out parasites were living inside of you and controlling your personality? I wouldn’t be taken aback, sounds like what already happens in your gut and with hormones.

Last week we re-discovered our deep history with human head lice friends, Pediculus humanus capitis. These lice are considered parasitic. As a refresher, parasitism is an intimate symbiotic relationship where one species benefits while the other species is harmed.

Photo credit: Gilles San Martin

Some of us may find the little guys absolutely atrocious, even scary. Many things can be scary: the dark, heights, failure, dangerous creatures. We are often afraid of animals such as sharks, snakes, and spiders, but the negative impact these guys have on human lives pales in comparison to the parasitic protozoans living in the stomach of a mosquito.

An infographic based on World Health Organization data in 2014.

But the mosquito is merely a carrier of our deadly culprit, Plasmodium. 

As the saying goes, “Don’t shoot the messenger.”. Sure, mosquitos are annoying, but do they deserve eradication? Is their niche as meaningless as some scientists have claimed them to be? Dr. Brady Barr, a herpetologist who hosts a National Geographic show, strongly disagrees.

There is logical reasoning on both sides of the mosquito debate. It’s difficult to know which choice, to remove these carriers of malaria or to keep them for the sake of avoiding potentially dire ecological consequences, is the correct one without being able to see in the future. CRISPR may offer a solution. What’s CRISPR? It’s arguably the biggest scientific discovery of this millennium.

Sounds perfect, right? The mosquitos live and continue to serve as a major food source for many animals and we no longer have to worry about malaria. We won’t be sure until we try, but perhaps this symbiosis in genetic action may be the answer to our anti-parasite prayers. Keep your eyes peeled for science updates on the topic this year to find out! If all goes well, the proposed CRISPR solution could have tremendous positive effects on global social justice. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 90% of malaria cases occur in developing countries. It’s difficult to get much done when we’re sick. Entire populations with boosted health can easily translate to boosted gross domestic product (GDP), possibly improving the quality of life in areas severely suffering from malaria.

As always, we wanted to know what some of our followers thought about all of this. We asked Daniel Sabzehzar, a Biochemistry & Public Health student at UC Merced. 

Last week we asked some of our followers what symbiotic relationships they wanted to hear more about. Adam Blundell, an instructor at the University of Utah an avid aquarist, enthusiastically requested an extrapolation on the parasitic nature of Cyphoma gibbosum (the flamingo tongue snail) on alcyonaceans (sea fan corals). 

POST BY: Helen Cheng

The beautiful Cyphoma gibbosum feeding on coral. Photo credit: Kirk Kilfoyle.

Where can one find this parasitic creature, you ask? Flamingo tongue snails are typically found in the tropical waters northern Brazil and range all the way through the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico towards North Carolina, USA. They can be seen on shore to as deep as 90 feet. 

They may seem beautiful, but they’re appetite for coral polyps truly kills. Shown above is a distinct path from the snail’s grazing. Photo credit: Lazlo Ilyes.

Though the critters prove lethal for their coral prey, they do possess an interesting characteristic that may be the reason for their peculiar name.

An uncanny resemblance to flamingo tongues? Photo credit: Unknown.

In fact, it’s the mantle tissue covering their shell. The spots can shift and shape as a way of confusing predators. The @terramarproject even created this entertaining, artistic animation to show us how such occurs: