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A pathogenic fungus uses volatiles to entice male flies into fatal matings with infected female cadavers

View ORCID ProfileAndreas Naundrup, Björn Bohman, Charles A. Kwadha, Annette B. Jensen, Paul G. Becher, View ORCID ProfileHenrik H. De Fine Licht
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.21.465334
Andreas Naundrup
1Section for Organismal Biology, Department of Plant and Environmental Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
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  • For correspondence: ah@plen.ku.dk hhdefinelicht@plen.ku.dk
Björn Bohman
2Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp, Sweden
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Charles A. Kwadha
2Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp, Sweden
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Annette B. Jensen
1Section for Organismal Biology, Department of Plant and Environmental Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
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Paul G. Becher
2Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp, Sweden
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Henrik H. De Fine Licht
1Section for Organismal Biology, Department of Plant and Environmental Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
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  • ORCID record for Henrik H. De Fine Licht
  • For correspondence: ah@plen.ku.dk hhdefinelicht@plen.ku.dk
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Abstract

To ensure dispersal, many parasites and pathogens behaviourally manipulate infected hosts. Other pathogens and certain insect-pollinated flowers use sexual mimicry and release deceptive mating signals. However, it is unusual for pathogens to rely on both behavioural host manipulation and sexual mimicry. Here, we show that the host-specific and behaviourally manipulating pathogenic fungus, Entomophthora muscae, generates a chemical blend of volatile sesquiterpenes and alters the level of natural host cuticular hydrocarbons in dead infected female house fly (Musca domestica) cadavers. Healthy male house flies respond to the fungal compounds and are enticed into mating with dead female cadavers. This is advantageous for the fungus as close proximity between host individuals leads to an increased probability of infection. The fungus-emitted volatiles thus represent the evolution of an extended phenotypic trait that exploit male flies’ willingness to mate and benefit the fungus by altering the behavioural phenotype of uninfected healthy male host flies.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY 4.0 International license.
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Posted October 22, 2021.
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A pathogenic fungus uses volatiles to entice male flies into fatal matings with infected female cadavers
Andreas Naundrup, Björn Bohman, Charles A. Kwadha, Annette B. Jensen, Paul G. Becher, Henrik H. De Fine Licht
bioRxiv 2021.10.21.465334; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.21.465334
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A pathogenic fungus uses volatiles to entice male flies into fatal matings with infected female cadavers
Andreas Naundrup, Björn Bohman, Charles A. Kwadha, Annette B. Jensen, Paul G. Becher, Henrik H. De Fine Licht
bioRxiv 2021.10.21.465334; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.21.465334

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