Fungal ectoparasites increase winter mortality of ladybird hosts despite limited effects on their immune system.

ABSTRACT: Winter represents a challenging period for insects inhabiting temperate regions. A plethora of studies have investigated how environmental conditions such as temperature affect insect overwintering success. However, only a few studies have focused on biotic factors and the mechanisms affecting the overwintering performance of insects. Here, we investigated the effects of the parasitic fungus Hesperomyces virescens on the overwintering performance and immune system functioning of the invasive ladybird Harmonia axyridis. Winter survival was significantly lower for infected than for uninfected ladybirds. Body mass loss during overwintering tends to be higher for infected individuals compared to uninfected ones and for larger ladybirds. In addition, parasitic infection reduced po

SUBMITTER: Knapp M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8941424 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature