This gnarly fungus makes cicadas hypersexual
As we wait for this spring and summer’s “cicadapocalypse,” when trillions will emerge across the Southern and Midwestern United States, some of the bugs may face a predicament that sounds straight out of science fiction. A sexually transmitted fungal pathogen exclusive to these periodical insects called Massospora cicadinacan control them like “a puppet master.” It causes the infected cicadas to act hypersexual and infect other bugs before they eventually die.
Abdomens pierced open by a fungus
Massospora cicadina can affect both broods of periodical cicadas set to emerge in the coming weeks and months. Brood XIII–the Northern Illinois Brood–will emerge for the first time since 2007 and stretches across parts of Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, and northern Illinois. Some of Brood XIX–the Great Southern Brood–will overlap with Brood XIII. The Great Southern Brood last emerged in 2011 and is primarily located in Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Alabama, George, North Carolina, South Carolina, and southern Illinois.
When they emerge, the cicadas molt into adults. Within a week to 10 days, this fungus opens up the backs of their abdomens. Scientists are still not sure when in their life cycle cicadas can initially become infected with Massospora cicadina, but the prevailing hypothesis is that they are infected on their way up from the ground.
[Related: This parasite deploys mucus slime balls to make ‘zombie ants.’]
According to West Virginia University mycologist Matt Kasson, the infected cicadas look like they have “a gumdrop that’s gotten wet and dropped in chalk dust,” on them.
“If you look at a fungus infected cicada, you’ll see that basically, the backside of the body has been replaced by this chalky white fungal plug,” Kasson tells PopSci. “Now, if you or I had our abdomens pierced open by a fungus or a third of our body was replaced by some parasite, we probably wouldn’t feel well. We probably wouldn’t attempt to mate. We would just feel awful, lay down, and die.”
However, infected cicadas continue to fly around as if nothing is wrong with them even as their genitalia have been consumed by a fungus. They can do this because the fungus has sent them into a period of prolonged wakefulness–a time of increased stamina.
“A hypothesis for that prolonged wakefulness is that the fungus is producing an amphetamine called cathinone,” says Kasson. Kasson says it is similar to one of the synthetic stimulants commonly found in “illegal bath salts that were banned because of the aggressiveness that [they] would cause.”
A quiet fungal ‘puppet master’
It makes the cicadas act hypersexualized, where males will continue to try to unsuccessfully mate with females and also mimic female behaviors to attract other males to mate with them. This then doubles the number of cicadas that will eventually become infected and is why it can be considered sexually transmitted.
Massospora cicadina’s ability to keep the host alive long to maximize the number of cicadas infected makes it a biotroph. It does not work like the Ophiocordyceps unilateralisfungus that takes over ants and makes them act like zombies or the fictional fungi from the television show and video game The Last of Usthat pops out in a dramatic fashion.
[Related: The Cicadapocalypse is nigh. 7 cicada facts to know before it hits.]
“It’s a trick of the fungus and it’s like a puppet master,” says Kasson. “It’s pulling the strings to maximize its own survival.”
Infection rates can reach 20 percent of a cicada if the environmental conditions are perfect, but some older studies suggest that it affects about five percent of cicadas in a given brood.
Optimizing its genome
Massospora cicadina was first discovered in the mid to late 1800’s. Since periodical cicadas only emerge every 13 or 17 years, studying this fungus is difficult. It also can’t be cultured on a petri dish, so mycologists have a limited window to study them and are still not really sure where it comes from.
In 2016, Brood V emerged near Kasson’s office in West Virginia and some of his graduate students suggested they look for signs of this fungus. They were able to sequence parts of its genome to see what makes it special. What they found was the largest genome ever sequenced for a fungus at about 1.5 billion bases.
“It’s about 20 times bigger than the average human genome and it’s mostly filled with these repetitive sequences called transposable elements,” says Kasson.
They indicate that Massospora cicadina has essentially spent millions of years optimizing its genome right alongside the cicada. The fungus and insect appear to have coevolved so that it can manipulate its host in a specific way to not kill it, but ensure its own survival. According to Kasson, their data on this coevolution hasn’t been published yet, but shows some interesting evolutionary dynamics.
“What we see is a pattern where basically cicadas evolved in parallel to the fungus all together,” says Kasson.
Massospora cicadina is not transmissible to humans, but it would be smart to avoid eating any cicadas that have the white, chalky plugs on their abdomens. The infected bugs will not come with any sort of high or buzz, but do have several toxins that could be dangerous if eaten.
“We found 1,000 other chemical compounds, some of which are known mycotoxins,” says Kasson. “So proceed with caution if you’re thinking about consuming one of these cicada fungi.”
(责任编辑:产品中心)
- 应对高温 户外驿站送清凉
- The Fani Willis hearing was a mess, but there was at least one highlight.
- Supreme Court ballot ruling: Effort to disqualify Trump was a disaster.
- Mark Robinson: North Carolina Republican primary for governor goes to a Holocaust denier.
- South Korean lawmakers brace for US election as Harris, Trump diverge on North Korea
- US Open 2024 livestream: How to watch US Open tennis for free
- DOJ should probe endemic police failures on sexual assault cases.
- Trump immunity case: SCOTUS’ delay is not based on legal procedure. It’s to help Trump.
- This nova is on the verge of exploding. You could see it any day now.
- Why Kamala Harris triggers Donald Trump so intensely.
- The Supreme Court’s unanimous Trump ballot ruling is actually a 5–4 disaster.
- Pramila Jayapal State of the Union preview: Joe Biden needs to speak to progressives.
- Election results: Democrats should be terrified about California in November.
-
Spate of defections show Kim Jong
A new monument that commemorates North Korean defectors who have died while escaping from the repres ...[详细] -
NASA shows how Mars helicopter did the impossible, and then crashed
NASA hoped its Ingenuity helicopter would fly at least once. It took flight 72 times.The historic cr ...[详细] -
Kari Lake isn’t actually sure who might have stolen the election.
This is Totally Normal Quote of the Day, a feature highlighting a statement from the news that exemp ...[详细] -
Aileen Cannon might get kicked off the Trump classified docs case.
The recent news about possible Russian space nukes reminds us that we live in a very insecure world. ...[详细] -
高燃!哨响表停赛不止,2024广东“村BA”开赛在即,一分钟带你重温高光瞬间。
...[详细] -
The Supreme Court’s unanimous Trump ballot ruling is actually a 5–4 disaster.
On Monday, the Supreme Court unanimously reversed a Colorado Supreme Court decision removing Donald ...[详细] -
To listen to the full episode, join Slate Plus.The Supreme Court allowed Donald Trump to remain on t ...[详细]
-
By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Policies You may unsubscribe at any time.Researche ...[详细]
-
Google has announced that Gemini, its AI tool that rivals ChatGPT, now supports AI-generated images ...[详细]
-
The South Carolina primary results actually contain some bad news for Trump.
Another Republican primary is in the books, and it looks much like every other contest we’ve seen so ...[详细]
Ruling bloc seeks tougher sentences for deepfake sex crimes
Student loan forgiveness: Biden's new strategy is a massive and improbable success.
- This shark lives for centuries. Scientists discover how it resists aging.
- President Biden will continue to use TikTok to campaign even after banning it in the U.S.
- Israel Gaza cease
- This nova is on the verge of exploding. You could see it any day now.
- NASA rover snaps photo of its most daunting challenge yet
- NASA, Nokia’s 4G lunar network could enable historic ice discovery
- Trump’s appeal of his $450 million penalty will cost him.