Natures wonders: Cicadas XIII and XIX appear in same place (Introduction)

by David Turell , Monday, May 06, 2024, 15:25 (13 days ago) @ David Turell

Last happened in 1803:

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgzGxTFTsFfHBkHNgtVVprCkfqBKq?projector=1

"In the spring of 1803, the United States government had just acquired the rights to the Louisiana territory, and—after many years of silence—two groups of cicadas were getting ready to make a very noisy entrance. Brood XIX, known as the Great Southern Brood, had been feeding on sap from underground tree roots since 1790, while the Midwestern-based Brood XIII had last burrowed into the soil in 1786. The simultaneous emergence of both groups that year was an exceptional occurrence; the 13-year and 17-year development of periodical cicadas sync up only rarely. Even when two broods do happen to overlap in time, they usually emerge several states away from one another.

"Now, more than two centuries later, Brood XIX and Brood XIII are poised to reunite. And while some folks in affected areas may be dreading the appearance of the neighboring broods, which will fill the air with their buzzing courtship songs and litter the ground with crunchy shells, scientists who study these mysterious insects—and the intrepid, cellphone-wielding amateurs who assist them —couldn’t be more excited.

***

"Now, more than two centuries later, Brood XIX and Brood XIII are poised to reunite. And while some folks in affected areas may be dreading the appearance of the neighboring broods, which will fill the air with their buzzing courtship songs and litter the ground with crunchy shells, scientists who study these mysterious insects—and the intrepid, cellphone-wielding amateurs who assist them —couldn’t be more excited. Some researchers, for example, are treating this entomological spectacle as an opportunity to investigate a bizarre fungal pathogen that transforms some unfortunate bugs into “flying saltshakers of death.”

"Once the spores of the fungus Massospora cicadina make their way into a cicada’s body, they begin to build up in the abdomen, eventually causing the insect’s genitals to fall off and replacing them with a white fungal plug. The spores then manipulate their host’s mind, inducing hypersexual behavior that draws in unsuspecting, soon-to-be-infected mates. As University of Connecticut (UConn) ecologist and evolutionary biologist John Cooley tells CNN , what happens next is as disgusting as it is fascinating: “Periodical cicadas have interlocking genitalia. So when they pull apart, guess what happens? Rip.” Once its fungal plug has been torn apart, the newly disemboweled bug will sprinkle spores wherever it goes, passing this zombie fungus on to the next generation of cicadas.

***

"In the past, researchers have utilized their access to cicadas to discover how the insects are able to generate such incredibly loud sounds, chart the evolution of their gut microbes, and investigate the ways in which their complex life cycles send ripples through local ecosystems . When Brood XIX and Brood XIII meet again, 221 years in the future, scientists will no doubt have yet more mysteries to explore."

Comment: each brood plays a role in its ecosystem. Another weird animal in the vast bush of life.