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The paradoxical rarity of a fruit fly fungus attacking a broad range of hosts

Camiel Doorenweerd1, Sebastian Sievert1, Walter Rossi2

  • 1Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences Entomology Section College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources University of Hawaii Honolulu HI USA.

Ecology and Evolution
|September 5, 2020
PubMed

Insights

This study investigated the rare fungus Stigmatomyces dacinus, an ectoparasite of fruit flies. Despite widespread hosts, the fungus remains uncommon, suggesting host susceptibility varies among closely related species.

Area of Science:

  • Mycology
  • Entomology
  • Ecology

Background:

  • Fungal distribution is influenced by host specificity and ecological interactions.
  • Laboulbeniales fungi are arthropod ectoparasites, often highly specialized to specific hosts.
  • Host ecology significantly impacts fungal occurrence due to direct transmission.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the rarity of the fungus Stigmatomyces dacinus despite its widespread and abundant Bactrocera fruit fly hosts.
  • To explore potential factors limiting the distribution and abundance of S. dacinus.
  • To understand host specificity and susceptibility in Laboulbeniales fungi.

Main Methods:

  • Examined approximately 20,000 fruit flies (Diptera: Dacinae) from four geographic regions (2017-2019).
  • Identified fungal infections using morphology and small subunit (18S) DNA sequencing.
  • Compared infection prevalence across different Bactrocera species, including sympatric but uninfected ones.

Main Results:

  • 197 fruit flies across eight Bactrocera species were infected with a single fungal species, Stigmatomyces dacinus.
  • S. dacinus was found on only a small fraction of its potential hosts, even where hosts were abundant.
  • 37 sympatric Bactrocera species were never found infected, and host selection was not phylogenetically correlated.

Conclusions:

  • The rarity of S. dacinus is not explained by host availability or phylogenetic relatedness alone.
  • Closely related Bactrocera species exhibit differential susceptibility to S. dacinus, limiting fungal abundance and dispersal.
  • This highlights a complex, hidden factor in host-parasite interactions affecting fungal distribution.
Keywords:
AscomycotaBactrocera dorsalisDaciniLaboulbenialesOriental fruit flyTephritidaebiocontrol

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