For at least two centuries, scientists have been enthralled by the “zombie” behaviors
induced by mind-controlling parasites. Despite this interest, the mechanistic bases of these …

Making the appropriate responses to predation risk is essential for the survival of an
organism; however, the underlying mechanisms are still largely unknown. Here, we find that …

Parasites come in all shapes and forms. From skinny tapeworms that infest intestines to the
microscopic infectious agent of malaria (Plasmodium), parasites are usually inconvenient …

Like all invertebrates, flies such as Drosophila lack an adaptive immune system and depend
on their innate immune system to protect them against pathogenic microorganisms and …

Drosophila larvae and pupae are at high risk of parasitoid infection in nature. To circumvent
parasitic stress, fruit flies have developed various survival strategies, including cellular and …

Intraspecific competition is a major force in mediating population dynamics, fuelling
adaptation, and potentially leading to evolutionary diversification. Among the evolutionary …

Parasites often alter the behavior of their hosts in ways that are ultimately beneficial to the
parasite or its offspring. Although the alteration of host behavior by parasites is a widespread …

Background Adaptive manipulation of animal behavior by parasites functions to increase
parasite transmission through changes in host behavior. These changes can range from …

Many microbes induce striking behavioral changes in their animal hosts, but how they
achieve this is poorly understood, especially at the molecular level. Mechanistic …

Hosts have numerous defenses against parasites, of which behavioral immune responses
are an important but underappreciated component. Here we describe a behavioral immune …