Metarhizium robertsii

This species was named after Prof. Donald W. Roberts, who's PhD dissertation focused on destruxins of the insect-pathogenic fungus then called "Metarhizium anisopliae"; Don continued to work with entomopathogenic fungi, as a research professor, working especially with an isolate called ARSEF 23: which eventually became the type for this species.{{cite web | url=http://mycocosm.jgi.doe.gov/Metro1/Metro1.home.html | title=Home - Metarhizium robertsii ARSEF 23 | website=MycoCosm, JGI, US DOE}}

Insect diseases caused by fungi in this genus is sometimes called green muscardine disease because of the green colour of their spores. When these mitotic (asexual) spores (called conidia) of the fungus come into contact with the body of an insect host, they germinate and the hyphae that emerge penetrate the cuticle. The fungus then develops inside the body, eventually killing the insect after a few days; this lethal effect is very likely aided by the production of insecticidal cyclic peptides (destruxins). The cuticle of the cadaver often becomes red. If the ambient humidity is high enough, a white mould then grows on the cadaver that soon turns green as spores are produced. Most insects living near the soil have evolved natural defenses against entomopathogenic fungi like M. robertsii. This fungus is, therefore, locked in an evolutionary battle to overcome these defenses, which has led to a large number of isolates (or strains) that are adapted to certain groups of insects.{{cite journal

| author=Freimoser, F. M.

| author2=Screen, S.

| author3=Bagga, S.

| author4=Hu, G.

| author5=St. Leger, R.J.

| author5-link=St. Leger

| name-list-style=amp

| title=EST analysis of two subspecies of M. anisopliae reveals a plethora of secreted proteins with potential activity in insect hosts.

| journal=Microbiology

| volume=149

| pages=239–247

| year=2003

| doi=10.1099/mic.0.25761-0

| pmid=12576597

| issue=Pt 1

| doi-access=free

}}

A simplified method of microencapsulation has been demonstrated to increase the shelf-life of M. robertsii spores commercialised for biological control of pest insects, potentially increasing its efficiency against red imported fire ants.{{Cite journal|last1=Qiu|first1=Hua-Long|last2=Fox|first2=Eduardo G. P.|last3=Qin|first3=Chang-Sheng|last4=Zhao|first4=Dan-Yang|last5=Yang|first5=Hua|last6=Xu|first6=Jin-Zhu|date=2019-07-01|title=Microcapsuled entomopathogenic fungus against fire ants, Solenopsis invicta|journal=Biological Control|volume=134|pages=141–149|doi=10.1016/j.biocontrol.2019.03.018|s2cid=132021733 |issn=1049-9644|url=https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2018/12/26/505370.full.pdf}}

Metarhizium robertsii has been shown to break down very toxic mercury into less toxic forms of mercury. The fungus has been genetically engineered to improve its ability to perform this task.{{cite journal | doi=10.1073/pnas.2214513119 | title=Bioremediation of mercury-polluted soil and water by the plant symbiotic fungus Metarhizium robertsii | date=2022 | last1=Wu | first1=Congcong | last2=Tang | first2=Dan | last3=Dai | first3=Jin | last4=Tang | first4=Xingyuan | last5=Bao | first5=Yuting | last6=Ning | first6=Jiali | last7=Zhen | first7=Qing | last8=Song | first8=Hui | last9=St. Leger | first9=Raymond J. | last10=Fang | first10=Weiguo | journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences | volume=119 | issue=47 | pmid=36375055 | s2cid=253522740 | doi-access=free | pmc=9704736 }}

• Beauveria bassiana, the fungus that causes white muscardine disease in various insects

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.indexfungorum.org/Names/NamesRecord.asp?RecordID=101834 Index Fungorum record], links to a list of synonyms
• [http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/08/fungi-make-biod.html Fungi Make Biodiesel Efficiently at Room Temperature]

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Category:Clavicipitaceae

Category:Parasitic fungi

Category:Fungi described in 1879

Category:Fungus species