Entomopathogenic Fungi as Mortality Agents in Insect Populations: A Review

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60460709%3A41330%2F24%3A101004" target="_blank" >RIV/60460709:41330/24:101004 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70666" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70666</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70666" target="_blank" >10.1002/ece3.70666</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Entomopathogenic Fungi as Mortality Agents in Insect Populations: A Review

Original language description

Natural enemies play a key role in population dynamics of insects and exert significant selective pressures on various traits of these animals. Although there is a wealth of empirical and theoretical research on predators and parasitoids, the ecological role of pathogens (other than viruses) remains less understood. Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF), encompassing over 1000 known species from 11 phyla, have primarily been studied in the context of biocontrol in agroecosystems, while their role in natural ecosystems is poorly known. In this paper, we synthesize case studies reporting the prevalence of EPF infections in field populations of insects. We examine differences in this variable among major host taxa and those of the pathogens. From 79 case studies that met our selection criteria, we retrieved data on 122 species of fungi infecting 104 insect species. The meta-analytic median prevalence of fungal infections was 8.2%; even if likely inflated by publication bias, this suggests that EPF-induced mortality levels are lower than those attributable to predators and parasitoids. We found no substantial differences in fungal prevalence among major insect taxa and only a moderate difference among fungal orders, with Neozygitales showing the highest prevalence and Eurotiales the lowest. Our analysis revealed no significant differences in overall EPF prevalence between tropical and temperate studies, although different fungal taxa showed different geographical patterns. In temperate areas, there is some evidence of increasing infection prevalence toward the end of the growing season. Although quantitative data on the effect of EPF on insect populations are still scarce, evidence is consistent with the emerging generalization that insect populations commonly harbor species-rich assemblages of pathogenic fungi, but infections rarely reach epidemic levels. Further studies on multi-species assemblages of EPF associated with natural insect populations are needed to better understand the ecological role of fungal infections.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

10616 - Entomology

Project

—

Continuities

S - Specificky vyzkum na vysokych skolach

Publication year

2024

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION

ISSN

2045-7758

e-ISSN

2045-7758

Volume of the periodical

14

Issue of the periodical within the volume

12

Country of publishing house

US - UNITED STATES

Number of pages

12

Pages from-to

1-12

UT code for WoS article

001370481400001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85210976201