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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Ithaca, New York » Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture & Health » Emerging Pests and Pathogens Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #419727
Research Project: Management and Biology of Arthropod Pests and Arthropod-borne Plant Pathogens

Location: Emerging Pests and Pathogens Research

Title: History of Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae: Resolving historical problems and anticipating future challenges

Author
item Bushley, Kathryn
item Rehner, Stephen

Submitted to: Society of Invertebrate Pathology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/10/2024
Publication Date: 7/25/2024
Citation: Bushley, K.E., Rehner, S.A. 2024. History of Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae: Resolving historical problems and anticipating future challenges. Society of Invertebrate Pathology. 56th Annual Society of Invertebrate Pathology Meeting, July 28 - August 1, 2024.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Beauveria bassiana (Bals.-Criv.) Vuill. and Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschn.) Sorokin are globally ubiquitous entomopathogenic fungi and key model systems for fundamental and applied research in insect pathology and insect biological control. We briefly trace the taxonomic histories of both species, illustrating how their species concepts have evolved within the changing landscape of taxonomic practice and the emergent role of molecular biology as an essential driver of insight into their evolutionary history and population biology. Understanding of both species has been greatly clarified, however, the current taxonomic status and concepts of the two species present two contrasting scenarios: 1) while properly typified, we show that B. bassiana encompasses an extensive cryptic species complex, and discuss whether further taxonomic dissection is warranted, while 2) M. anisopliae conforms closely to the definition of a unitary phylogenetic species but is not properly typified, thus its concept remains vulnerable, and we propose to epitypify the species to preserve its current phylogenetic concept. However, molecular phylogenies suggest that this prevailing concept of M. anisopliae closely conforms to the definition of a unitary phylogenetic species. We discuss the importance of valid typification to ensure stable taxonomic species concepts and discuss future research directions to investigate the role of sex, extended clonality, and geography in better understanding the genetic composition and structure of these two important species.