Natures wonders: fungus controls male flies (Introduction)

by David Turell , Wednesday, November 03, 2021, 15:05 (1114 days ago) @ David Turell

The fungus kills a female fly and induces a male fly to try to mate the dead female to spread its spores:

https://www.science.org/content/article/fungus-lures-male-flies-having-sex-dead-females...

"If you see a dead housefly on a windowsill surrounded by a ghostly halo of tiny white spores, it’s a death trap. The insect was invaded by a fungus that took over its brain, manipulating the fly to find the highest perch it could. From there, the fungus launched its spores into the air to infect as many healthy flies as possible. Even weirder: Males try to mate with dead, fungus-swollen females. Now, a study has revealed the fungus creates a love potion by releasing chemicals that lure flies to increase their chances of infection.

***

"Working with chemical ecologists at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, the team found flies infected with the fungus contained many more chemicals than did healthy flies, and the presence and abundance of several of these varied with how long the fly had been infected.

"Some of the chemicals, called methyl-branched alkanes, have previously been found to stimulate male houseflies to mate. The researchers couldn’t identify the fungus’ specific chemical attractant, but they say if it could be isolated and manufactured, it might be useful as a lure to trap houseflies. But meanwhile, the researchers say they are astonished by the fungus’ ability to manipulate its host. “I’m really impressed and amazed by the extent of the adaptation it shows,” de Fine Licht says."

Comment: It is in the same class as fungus control of ants, described here before. Same old question: how chance evolution achieves this complex system?