Assume that you are interested in the life cycle of an ant parasite and the mechanism it uses to disperse its eggs. You find that ant larvae are infected when they eat bird droppings containing the parasite's eggs. As the ant matures, the parasite eggs grow in the abdomen of the ant. The abdomen swells with parasite eggs and turns red, causing it to resemble a berry. You find that berries and other fruit are an important part of the diet of local birds. Further study shows that the ants' red abdomens are attractive to birds that eat the ants as if they are berries. Finally, birds drop feces wherever they fly, spreading the parasite eggs, which infect the larvae of other ants, renewing the cycle. After considering the reproductive strategy of the parasite, what is the purpose of the bird as an intermediate host in the life cycle of the parasite? See Section 28.3