From sloths to birds, vertebrates rely on insects for a wide array of purposes, including food, shelter, and medicine, according to an international paper co-authored by faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York. 

Kyoto, Japan -- Like many parasites, nematomorphs are known to manipulate the behavior of their hosts to complete their life cycles. Also known as horsehair worms, among other names, these creatures develop in their hosts' body cavities and lure their terrestrial arthropod victims into the water where the parasites then reproduce. Some species have even been observed to induce positive phototaxis, attracting the host toward horizontally polarized light reflected on the water's surface.

Given that some parasites, including nematomorphs, target nocturnal hosts, a team of researchers at Kyoto University wondered if parasites manipulate their nocturnal hosts in sync with the lunar cycle. If such a manipulation mechanism has been conserved across nematomorph lineages, the team hypothesized that water-entry behavior in nocturnal hosts infected by Gordius and Gordionus nematomorphs may be more prevalent during the full moon, and sparse during the new moon.

From August to October during nights of the full and new moon, the researchers sampled camel crickets floating on the water in a small artificial pond in the Kiso River system in Nagano prefecture, where they also found large numbers of nematomorphs. In addition, they examined the stomach contents of salmonid fish in a nearby forested stream, treating the fish as fellow field researchers that continuously survey the river, day and night.

Forests store carbon and support biodiversity, but management that benefits one goal may not benefit the other. A study of 150 forest plots found that increasing management intensity reduced total and aboveground carbon while increasing belowground carbon. Aboveground insect diversity and biomass also increased, whereas belowground fauna showed no overall response. Relationships varied among arthropod groups, habitats and years, revealing no single optimal management strategy. The authors suggest combining generally lower-intensity management with a mosaic of forest types to better balance carbon storage, arthropod habitat, climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation.

Tick populations are expanding across the U.S., driving an increase in tick-borne diseases. Among them is Powassan virus, a rare but increasingly reported infection that can cause severe brain inflammation and lasting neurological complications.

Although reported cases are growing, scientists still know relatively little about the virus and how it causes serious illness. In three newly published studies, Georgia State University researchers are filling that gap, from developing new laboratory models to identifying how the body’s immune system fights the infection and uncovering changes in the brain that could help point to future treatments.