38th Annual Meeting of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology

August 7-11, 2005  Anchorage, Alaska, U.S.A
   

Bizarre interactions and endgames: Entomopathogenic fungi and their arthropod hosts

Helen Roy1, Don Steinkraus2, Jørgen Eilenberg3, Ann Hajek4 and Judith Pell5
1 Department of Life Sciences, Anglia Polytechnic University, East Road, Cambridge, CB1 1PT,2Department of Entomology, 319 AGRI, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, 3 Department of Ecology, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, 1871 Frb. C., Denmark, 4Department of Entomology, Cornell University, 6126 Comstock Hall, Ithaca, New York 14853-0901, 5Plant and Invertebrate Ecology Division, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, Al5 2JQ

Invertebrate pathogens and their hosts are taxonomically diverse. Despite this, there is one unifying concept relevant to all such parasitic associations: both the pathogen and host will adapt to maximize their own reproductive output and ultimate fitness. The strategies adopted by pathogens and hosts to achieve this goal are almost as diverse as the organisms themselves but studies examining such relationships have traditionally concentrated on aspects of host physiology. Here we report on a review of examples of host-altered behavior and consider these within a broader ecological and evolutionary context. Research on pathogen-induced/host-mediated behavioral changes demonstrates the range of altered behaviors exhibited by invertebrates including behaviorally induced fever, elevation seeking, reduced or increased activity, reduced response to semiochemicals, and changes in reproductive behavior. These interactions are sometimes quite bizarre, intricate, and of great scientific interest.

This abstract may not be cited or reproduced.