Entomopathogenic Fungi Infecting Lepidopteran Larvae: A Case from Central Argentina
Immature stages of insects are vulnerable to various antagonists, including pathogens. While the abiotic factors affecting pathogen prevalence in insect populations are reasonably well documented, much less is known about relevant ecological interactions. We studied the probability of the larvae of...
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MDPI AG
2022-06-01
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| author | Robin Gielen Gerardo Robledo Adriana Inés Zapata Toomas Tammaru Kadri Põldmaa |
| author_facet | Robin Gielen Gerardo Robledo Adriana Inés Zapata Toomas Tammaru Kadri Põldmaa |
| author_sort | Robin Gielen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Immature stages of insects are vulnerable to various antagonists, including pathogens. While the abiotic factors affecting pathogen prevalence in insect populations are reasonably well documented, much less is known about relevant ecological interactions. We studied the probability of the larvae of three lepidopteran species to die from fungal infection as a function of insect species and food plants in central Argentina. Local free-growing food plants were used to feed the lepidopteran larvae. The prevalence of entomopathogenic fungi remained low (about 5%), which is a value well consistent with observations on similar systems in other regions. Eight fungal species recorded, primarily belonging to <i>Fusarium</i> and <i>Aspergillus</i>, add evidence to the reconsideration of the nutritional modes in these genera in distinguishing the role of some species (complexes) to cause insect infections. Food plant species were found to have a substantial effect on the prevalence of entomopathogenic fungi. This was especially clear for the most abundant fungal species, a representative of the <i>Fusarium</i> <i>fujikuroi</i> complex. Feeding on a particular plant taxon can thus have a specific fitness cost. Compared to the data collected from Northern Europe, the Argentinian assemblages from the families Aspergillaceae and Nectriaceae overlapped at the genus level but did not share species. It remains to be confirmed if this level of divergence in the composition of assemblages of entomopathogenic fungi among distant regions represents a global pattern. |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-1729 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:16:11Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
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| record_format | Article |
| series | Life |
| spelling | doaj.art-3215b2a361634d879d9616fe0c31b32f2023-12-01T22:21:42ZengMDPI AGLife2075-17292022-06-0112797410.3390/life12070974Entomopathogenic Fungi Infecting Lepidopteran Larvae: A Case from Central ArgentinaRobin Gielen0Gerardo Robledo1Adriana Inés Zapata2Toomas Tammaru3Kadri Põldmaa4Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tartu, 50409 Tartu, EstoniaBioTECA3, Centro de Biotecnología Aplicada al Agro y Alimentos, Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba 5016, ArgentinaFacultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba 5016, ArgentinaDepartment of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tartu, 50409 Tartu, EstoniaDepartment of Botany, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tartu, 50409 Tartu, EstoniaImmature stages of insects are vulnerable to various antagonists, including pathogens. While the abiotic factors affecting pathogen prevalence in insect populations are reasonably well documented, much less is known about relevant ecological interactions. We studied the probability of the larvae of three lepidopteran species to die from fungal infection as a function of insect species and food plants in central Argentina. Local free-growing food plants were used to feed the lepidopteran larvae. The prevalence of entomopathogenic fungi remained low (about 5%), which is a value well consistent with observations on similar systems in other regions. Eight fungal species recorded, primarily belonging to <i>Fusarium</i> and <i>Aspergillus</i>, add evidence to the reconsideration of the nutritional modes in these genera in distinguishing the role of some species (complexes) to cause insect infections. Food plant species were found to have a substantial effect on the prevalence of entomopathogenic fungi. This was especially clear for the most abundant fungal species, a representative of the <i>Fusarium</i> <i>fujikuroi</i> complex. Feeding on a particular plant taxon can thus have a specific fitness cost. Compared to the data collected from Northern Europe, the Argentinian assemblages from the families Aspergillaceae and Nectriaceae overlapped at the genus level but did not share species. It remains to be confirmed if this level of divergence in the composition of assemblages of entomopathogenic fungi among distant regions represents a global pattern.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/12/7/974hypocrealesnoctuidaehost plant usemortality<i>Fusarium</i> <i>fujikuroi</i> and <i>Fusarium</i> <i>solani</i> species complex |
| spellingShingle | Robin Gielen Gerardo Robledo Adriana Inés Zapata Toomas Tammaru Kadri Põldmaa Entomopathogenic Fungi Infecting Lepidopteran Larvae: A Case from Central Argentina Life hypocreales noctuidae host plant use mortality <i>Fusarium</i> <i>fujikuroi</i> and <i>Fusarium</i> <i>solani</i> species complex |
| title | Entomopathogenic Fungi Infecting Lepidopteran Larvae: A Case from Central Argentina |
| title_full | Entomopathogenic Fungi Infecting Lepidopteran Larvae: A Case from Central Argentina |
| title_fullStr | Entomopathogenic Fungi Infecting Lepidopteran Larvae: A Case from Central Argentina |
| title_full_unstemmed | Entomopathogenic Fungi Infecting Lepidopteran Larvae: A Case from Central Argentina |
| title_short | Entomopathogenic Fungi Infecting Lepidopteran Larvae: A Case from Central Argentina |
| title_sort | entomopathogenic fungi infecting lepidopteran larvae a case from central argentina |
| topic | hypocreales noctuidae host plant use mortality <i>Fusarium</i> <i>fujikuroi</i> and <i>Fusarium</i> <i>solani</i> species complex |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/12/7/974 |
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