Return of the Zombie Cicadas: Team Unearths Manipulative Qualities of Fungal-infected Flyers
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Return of the zombie cicadas: Team unearths manipulative qualities of fungal-infected flyers:
Massospora manipulates male cicadas into flicking their wings like females-a mating invitation-which tempts unsuspecting male cicadas and infects them.
It's a recent discovery into the bizarre world of cicadas plagued by a psychedelic fungus that contains chemicals including those found in hallucinogenic mushrooms.
[...] "Essentially, the cicadas are luring others into becoming infected because their healthy counterparts are interested in mating," said Brian Lovett, study co-author and post-doctoral researcher with the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design. "The bioactive compounds may manipulate the insect to stay awake and continue to transmit the pathogen for longer."
[...] Massospora spores gnaw away at a cicada's genitals, butt and abdomen, replacing them with fungal spores. Then they "wear away like an eraser on a pencil," Lovett said.
Journal Reference:
Brian Lovett, Angie Macias, Jason E. Stajich, et al. Behavioral betrayal: How select fungal parasites enlist living insects to do their bidding, PLOS Pathogens (DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008598)
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