Research Shows Unique Tactic of Zombie Fly Fungus to Survive Longer
Research Shows Unique Tactic of Zombie Fly Fungus To Survive Longer:
A common pathogenic fungus called Entomophthora muscae lives by infecting common houseflies with lethal spores.
Research now revealed that the fungus has a special strategy to secure its life.
When exposed to the fungal-infected carcasses of dead females, the fungus "bewitches" male houseflies and induces necrophilia in them.
Zombie Fly Fungus Lures Healthy Male Flies to Mate With Female Corpses
Zombie fly fungus lures healthy male flies to mate with female corpses:
Entomophthora muscae is a widespread, pathogenic fungus that survives by infecting common houseflies with deadly spores. Now, research shows that the fungus has a unique tactic to ensure for its survival. The fungus 'bewitches' male houseflies and drives them to necrophilia with the fungal-infected corpses of dead females.
After having infected a female fly with its spores, the fungus spreads until its host has slowly been consumed alive from within. After roughly six days, the fungus takes over the behavior of the female fly and forces it to the highest point, whether upon vegetation or a wall, where the fly then dies. When the fungus has killed the zombie female, it begins to release chemical signals known as sesquiterpenes.
Journal Reference:
Naundrup, Andreas, Bohman, Björn, Kwadha, Charles A., et al. Pathogenic fungus uses volatiles to entice male flies into fatal matings with infected female cadavers, The ISME Journal (DOI: 10.1038/s41396-022-01284-x)
(Score: 2) by garfiejas on Wednesday July 20 2022, @09:20AM
Evolution over 250 million years can be really really nasty sometimes and the behavior modification by parasites is more widespread than I thought.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by FatPhil on Wednesday July 20 2022, @09:26AM
The "cordyceps" family of fungi do take over the brains of insects, and make them climb to a high vista, and then kill them in a clamped-on state. However, they then just multiply, and then burst out (sometimes after growing horns that extend out of the carcass quite a long way - I'll leave you with a wasp: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Cordyceps.jpg , but you can do your own googling for ``cordyceps spider''), showering the ground below them with spores, working on the principle that the critter they infected won't be far from his hive/colony, and so hopefully a bunch of equally-infectable critters will each get a small dose, but maybe not. This version seems to just go for the few big doses just to make sure. Insects being quite simplistc followers of chemical gradients, it probably works quite well. It kinda reminds me of r/K selection theory, stripped down to its absolute most simplistic form where the parent doesn't even have the capability of "taking care" of the offspring.
My apologies to those who were expecting a Demoncrats joke here, sorry.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by Opportunist on Wednesday July 20 2022, @10:34AM (1 child)
Someone got a grant to find this out.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 20 2022, @12:28PM
Putting aside that the research money came from the SLU Centre for Biological Control ("SLU Centre for Biological Control, CBC, contributes to the development of new knowledge concerning the use of living organisms to control pests and diseases.'), which sounds like just the kind of organization that would fund something like this, what's wrong with this particular study? This could also be something that was observed as part of some larger effort.