{"id":21064,"date":"2024-05-07T19:04:53","date_gmt":"2024-05-08T03:04:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/?p=21064"},"modified":"2024-05-07T19:07:15","modified_gmt":"2024-05-08T03:07:15","slug":"cicadas-broods-infected-with-massospora-fungus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/cicadas-broods-infected-with-massospora-fungus\/","title":{"rendered":"Cicadas broods infected with Massospora fungus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Written by: Jaylin Hardin | Sports Editor<\/span><\/p>\n

In late spring and early summer across the south and midwest, two broods of cicadas, XIX and XIII, will be hatching simultaneously. Cicada broods typically hatch every 13 and 17 years \u2014 for brood XIX and brood XIII, respectively \u2014 and the last time these broods hatched at the same time was 1803, making this an entomological phenomenon. All seven cicada species will be represented in both broods this year \u2014 it won\u2019t be until 2037 that all seven are represented again.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason Bittel from the \u201cWashington Post\u201d had the opportunity to sit down with experts on cicada life cycles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s pretty spectacular, from the standpoint of a scientist that\u2019s interested in cicadas,\u201d said Matt Kasson, a mycologist at West Virginia University. Mycologists focus on the study of fungi and how they are spread.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This time around, scientists hope to investigate and uncover the mysteries around a parasitic fungus that affects adult cicadas. The fungus, called Massospora cicadina, affects only the Magicicada species, also known as periodical cicadas because of the broods\u2019 hatching periods.<\/span><\/p>\n

Infection of the cicadas first occurs when they emerge from their broods; spores attach themselves to their abdomens and begin to grow.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When the fungus\u2019 spores infect a cicada, its body is flooded with amphetamine and psilocybin, and its lower abdomen along with reproductive organs are replaced with the fungus. The fungus takes on a chalky white appearance, leading scientists to call them \u201csaltshakers of death.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The presence of amphetamine and psilocybin in the cicada\u2019s body changes the insects\u2019 behavior. The most common behavior change in cicadas is hypersexuality. Additionally, during the mating cycle of the cicada\u2019s life, infected male cicadas don\u2019t only mate with female cicadas \u2014 they mimic the mating patterns of female cicadas so other males will mate with them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This pattern of behavior in infected male cicadas causes the fungus to be sexually transmitted, to males and females alike. However, it is less prevalent in females than it is in males.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeriodical cicadas have interlocking genitalia. So when they pull apart, guess what happens? Rip. And then there\u2019s a cicada walking around with someone else\u2019s genitals stuck to them,\u201d said Dr. John Cooley, an associate professor in residence of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Connecticut, Hartford, \u201c…and now the cicada that\u2019s infected is busted open.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While also studying the habits of these infected cicadas, scientists like Kasson and Cooley are hoping to research the use of the fungus in the field of medicine. M. cicadina is used in cultures in China and among New Zealand\u2019s Maori as a traditional medicine for inflammation.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is a positive side to the emergence of cicada broods, however. Cicada emergences have had ecological benefits, providing an array of protein for predators, as well as boosts in phosphorus and nitrogen for plant life, thanks to trillions of decaying insect bodies.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re out during this year\u2019s emergence and your dog or toddler happens to gulp down a cicada or three, don\u2019t worry about it,\u201d said Maureen Turcatel, collections manager of insects at the Field Museum in Chicago. \u201cCicadas can\u2019t bite or sting, and they are perfectly edible.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21065,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[2919,2915,2913,2920,2917,2914,2918,2916],"class_list":["post-21064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-china","tag-cicadas","tag-maori","tag-massospora-cicadina","tag-new-zealand","tag-saltshakers-of-death","tag-west-virginia-university","tag-zombie-cicadas"],"modified_by":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21064"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21064\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21065"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}