Scientists from the University of Copenhagen and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences have discovered
In a paper published in The ISME Journal,scientists have shown that male flies prefer to mate with fungus-infected females that are long dead. Specifically, 73% of the male flies in the study mated with the carcasses of female flies that had died from a fungal infection 25-30 hours prior. Only 15% of males mate with the corpses of females that died within 3-8 hours.
The male fly attempts to mate with the corpse of the female held in place. White stripes on the body of the female - germinated fungus. Photo: Filippo Castelucci, University of Copenhagen
Large-scale study including geneticand behavioral analysis showed that the pathogenic fungus controls the chemical signals emitted by the infected individual. After infecting the female fly with its spores, the fungus spreads until it completely destroys its host from the inside.
After about six days, the fungus begins to take controlbehavior of the female fly and makes her climb to the highest point in the area where the fly dies. When the fungus kills a female, it starts releasing chemical signals known as sesquiterpenes.
Chemical signals act like pheromones that enchant male flies and make them want to mate with the lifeless carcasses of females.
Henrik H. De Fine Licht, assistant professor of environmental and plant sciences at the University of Copenhagen, is one of the authors of the study.
When male flies copulate with dead females,fungal spores are showered on males, which are destroyed by the fungus themselves and can continue to spread its spores. In this way, entomophora mushinai spreads its spores to new victims and ensures its survival.
Scientists believe that this discovery can be used for pest control. For example, the scents of sesquiterpenes can be used to lure flies into special traps.
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