Term of Award

Spring 2025

Degree Name

Master of Science in Biology (M.S.)

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (open access)

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

Department of Biology

Committee Chair

Jennifer Zettler

Committee Member 1

Sara Gremillion

Committee Member 2

Geneva DeMars

Abstract

Entomopathogenic fungi are well-known, species-specific pathogens of a wide diversity of insects that infect, manipulate, and kill their insect hosts to complete their life cycle. Recently in Savannah, Georgia, millipedes belonging to the genus Eurymerodesmus were observed exhibiting pre-death climbing behaviors associated with pathogenic fungal infection. Dying millipedes summited vegetation and subsequently died in elevated positions along edge habitat transitioning a recreational field and forest. Upon inspection, fungal structures found emerging from dead millipedes anatomically resembled Arthrophaga myriapodina, which is the first documented entomophthoralean fungus to infect millipedes. The goal of this research was to obtain species-level identification of the pathogenic fungus and their millipede host, to determine if humidity and temperature play a role in summiting behaviors of infected millipedes, and characterize trends in how parasitism affects the final resting position of cadavers. This study documents the expanded host range of A. myriapodina to now include Eurymerodesmus millipede species and characterizes the abiotic factors that are associated with host summiting behaviors.

OCLC Number

1521204288

Research Data and Supplementary Material

No

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