Origins and metabolic evolution of multifunctionality in Metarhizium robertsii : linking phenotypic diversity to ecological niche plasticity

2026 · doi:10.64898/2026.01.15.699721
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This study reveals that shifts in nutritional mode, leading to a broader range of carbon source utilization and enhanced plant root colonization, underpin the evolution of Metarhizium robertsii's ecological versatility and virulence.

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⚙ AI-generated deep summary by claude@2026-07, 2026-07-16 · read from full text ⓘ

The paper studied evolutionary transitions in Metarhizium robertsii by comparing early and recently diverged fungal lineages, using phenotyping, metabolic assays, germination tests, virulence experiments in insects, and immune response assays in Drosophila. Early strains showed slower insect killing, greater pre-mortem proliferation, and more sporulation, while recently diverged strains grew faster and used a “kill and consume” approach linked to destruxin toxin production, with enhanced colonization of plant roots; metabolic testing showed recently diverged strains could use a broader range of carbon sources. Germination rates on insect cuticle and plant roots correlated with each other and with virulence in both Drosophila and beetles, and immune activation in Drosophila partially mediated differences in virulence between strains. The study’s main limitation is that it characterizes functional evolution within this single fungal species model rather than directly testing broader organismal or clinical outcomes. The paper does not explicitly discuss endometriosis or adenomyosis; it was included in the corpus via a keyword match in the upstream search index.

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Abstract

This study investigates the evolution of fungi with complex multifunctional ecological roles using early and recently diverged lineages of Metarhizium robertsii as a model. The early diverged strains are characterized by slower insect killing, extensive pre-mortem fungal proliferation within hosts, and prolific sporulation, whereas recently diverged strains show rapid growth, a “kill and consume” strategy linked to destruxin toxin production, and enhanced plant root colonization. Metabolic assays demonstrated that recently diverged strains utilize a broader range of carbon sources, supporting their ecological versatility as pathogens, endophytes, and saprophytes. Germination rates on insect cuticles and plant roots strongly correlate with each other, and with virulence to Drosophila and beetles ( Tenebrio molitor , Popillia japonica ), highlighting nutritional flexibility as a key driver of ecological adaptation. Immune response assays in Drosophila revealed that virulence differences among strains are also partly mediated by host immune activation. These findings suggest that nutritional mode shifts underpin the evolutionary trajectory from specialist insect pathogen to plant associations and enhanced insect virulence within M. robertsii, providing a valuable model for studying fungal ecological plasticity and informing the development of fungal biofertilizers and biopesticides.
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Abstract This study investigates the evolution of fungi with complex multifunctional ecological roles using early and recently diverged lineages of Metarhizium robertsii as a model. The early diverged strains are characterized by slower insect killing, extensive pre-mortem fungal proliferation within hosts, and prolific sporulation, whereas recently diverged strains show rapid growth, a “kill and consume” strategy linked to destruxin toxin production, and enhanced plant root colonization. Metabolic assays demonstrated that recently diverged strains utilize a broader range of carbon sources, supporting their ecological versatility as pathogens, endophytes, and saprophytes. Germination rates on insect cuticles and plant roots strongly correlate with each other, and with virulence to Drosophila and beetles (Tenebrio molitor, Popillia japonica), highlighting nutritional flexibility as a key driver of ecological adaptation. Immune response assays in Drosophila revealed that virulence differences among strains are also partly mediated by host immune activation. These findings suggest that nutritional mode shifts underpin the evolutionary trajectory from specialist insect pathogen to plant associations and enhanced insect virulence within M. robertsii, providing a valuable model for studying fungal ecological plasticity and informing the development of fungal biofertilizers and biopesticides. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.

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