Cycle

Alice Laciny

So hungry now
A babe within a babe
One to prosper, one to perish
Children fed with delicious destruction
One sleeps, another unfolds within

Coiled tightly now
A loop within a loop
She needs no wings to fly
Consumed within the void of her own shell
A dark, damp destiny awaits

Swim swiftly now
An urge within an urge
The glistening water beckons
Expanded skin screams for release
And ends mark new beginnings 

The Science

Mermithid nematodes are common parasites of ants. Juvenile mermithids enter the final ant hosts by larval nutrition, when the intermediate hosts (e.g. earthworms) are fed to ant larvae. Ant and nematode develop in synchronicity, with the parasite eventually filling out the entire abdominal cavity in a large coil. This can cause drastic developmental disruptions to the host (e.g. shortening or absence of wings in queens). When mature, the mermithid alters host behaviour and leads it to drown in water to release the parasite and complete the cycle. With this ever-repeating sequence of developmental stages occupying and influencing different hosts, the lives of these parasites represent one of many rhythmic, cyclical patterns in nature.

The Poet

Alice Laciny is an Austrian entomologist holding a PhD from the University of Vienna. Her passions include ants (exploding or otherwise), parasites, diversity in academia, and science education. She enjoys communicating her scientific research through creative writing, such as poetry or short stories for adults and children.

Next poem: ECG by Michael J. Leach