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Plant-Insect Ecosystems

Section Symposium

Friends and Foes: New Advances on Plant-Insect-Microbe Interactions On-Demand Presentations

How can Drosophila suzukii interactions with fungi impact pest management?

On-Demand

Presenting Author(s)

Kelly A. Hamby

Associate Professor
University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland

Co-author(s)

ML

Margaret Lewis

University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland
TS

Torsten Schöneberg

University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland
Madison Tewey

Undergraduate Student Researcher
University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland
MH

Mengjun Hu

University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland

Interactions between Drosophila and fungi range from mutualistic, such as the “farming” and dispersal of yeasts, to antagonistic competition and parasitism. While most drosophilids rely upon yeast rich fermenting substrates such as overripe fruit, the invasive pest Drosophila suzukii attacks ripe, unspoiled fruit. Despite this unique niche, fungi significantly impact D. suzukii’s life history. As in other Drosophila spp., D. suzukii feed upon a variety of yeast species. In particular, Hanseniaspora uvarum has been recovered from 93% of field collected larvae (n = 56 across 4 sites and 2 states) and 100% of adults (n = 11 across 2 sites and 1 state). Yeasts are critical for D. suzukii larval survival, impacting adult and larval behavior. We have also identified adult and larval D. suzukii fungal communities more broadly, and evaluated the nature of their relationship with fruit rot fungi. Understanding how D. suzukii interacts with fungi may lead to the development of novel sustainable pest management strategies for this fruit pest. Because D. suzukii may influence fruit rot epidemiology, improved insect and pathogen management programs can also be developed.