Locusta migratoria cinerascens (a different subspecies than addressed in Shi's research)WIKIMEDIA, HECTONICHUSSwarms of the migratory locust (Locusta migratoria manilensis) can wipe out thousands of hectares of crops grown in Africa and other parts of the world. But the key to preventing such devastating aggregation, researchers have learned, may be a simple gut parasite, Paranosema locustae.
According to a study published in PNAS this week (January 13), P. locustae bacteria prevent the release of swarming pheromones in the locusts’ scat, such that locusts coming into contact with scat from infected comrades were less likely to aggregate than those who were placed in chambers with scat from parasite-free insects.
Diving deeper into the mechanism of this anti-aggregation effect, entomologist Wangpeng Shi of China Agricultural University in Beijing and colleagues found that the bacteria caused an increase in acidity in the lower gut of the locusts, reducing levels of other microbes that are responsible for generating the aggregation-signaling pheromones. Moreover, infected insects expressed lower levels of serotonin and dopamine, neurotransmitters involved in swarming behavior.
The findings hold implications for the use of P. ...
