{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,10]],"date-time":"2026-10-10T21:53:45Z","timestamp":1791669225117,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,7]],"date-time":"2024-11-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1730937600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100005825","name":"National Institute of Food and Agriculture","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2022-33522-38272"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2022-33522-38272"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100005825","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000154","name":"Division of Integrative Organismal Systems","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["DEB 1911777"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["DEB 1911777"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000154","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plospathogens.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS Pathog"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Both <jats:italic>Metarhizium robertsii<\/jats:italic> ARSEF 2575 (Mr2575) and <jats:italic>Metarhizium anisopliae<\/jats:italic> ARSEF 549 (Ma549) infect a range of insects whilst also interacting with plants; however, little is known about the traits that affect the competitive ability of different strains. We examined the interactions between Mr2575 and Ma549 in culture and during co-infection of plants (<jats:italic>Arabidopsis thaliana<\/jats:italic>) and insects. Mr2575 outcompetes Ma549 under nutrient-limiting conditions, including root exudates, giving it a priority advantage on <jats:italic>Arabidopsis<\/jats:italic> roots. However, during co-infection of <jats:italic>Manduca sexta<\/jats:italic> or <jats:italic>Drosophila melanogaster<\/jats:italic>, Ma549\u2019s higher blastospore production enhanced its competitive ability within the host. In large <jats:italic>M<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>sexta<\/jats:italic> (fifth instar), blastospores facilitate dispersal, suppress host melanization and prevent Mr2575 from spreading from infection sites, reducing conidia production. However, colonization of smaller hosts such as first instar <jats:italic>M<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>sexta<\/jats:italic> and <jats:italic>D<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>melanogaster<\/jats:italic> did not provide Ma549 with a competitive advantage, as conidial production was dependent on retaining control of the cuticle through which conidiating hyphae emerge. Unexpectedly, Ma549 and Mr2575 segregate within hosts, suggesting resource partitioning with Mr2575 predominating in the thoraxes of <jats:italic>Drosophila<\/jats:italic>, especially in females, and Ma549 in the abdomen. In fifth instar <jats:italic>M<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>sexta<\/jats:italic>, Mr2575 was most prevalent around spiracles and the front end of segments, despite Ma549 and Mr2575 having similar susceptibility to hypoxia. Dispersing conidia homogeneously into the hemocoel of fifth instar <jats:italic>M<\/jats:italic>. <jats:italic>sexta<\/jats:italic> eliminated the blastospore production advantage, making Ma549 and Mr2575 equally competitive, with strict partitioning of Mr2575 at the anterior and Ma549 at the posterior ends of segments. As <jats:italic>Metarhizium<\/jats:italic> species have multiple roles in natural ecosystems and agroecosystems these discoveries are relevant to understanding their impact on maintaining biodiversity and for exploiting them to enhance food security.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.ppat.1012639","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,7]],"date-time":"2024-11-07T18:22:33Z","timestamp":1731003753000},"page":"e1012639","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.ppat.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Metarhizium fight club: Within-host competitive exclusion and resource partitioning"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"20","author":[{"given":"Huiyu","family":"Sheng","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7386-6775","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Raymond J.","family":"St. Leger","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"ppat.1012639.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"112374","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jphotobiol.2021.112374","article-title":"Photobiology of the keystone genus Metarhizium","volume":"226","author":"GT Brancini","year":"2022","journal-title":"Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology"},{"issue":"2","key":"ppat.1012639.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"64","DOI":"10.3390\/jof6020064","article-title":"Systemic colonization by Metarhizium robertsii enhances cover crop growth","volume":"6","author":"I Ahmad","year":"2020","journal-title":"Journal of Fungi"},{"issue":"6088","key":"ppat.1012639.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1576","DOI":"10.1126\/science.1222289","article-title":"Endophytic insect-parasitic fungi translocate nitrogen directly from insects to plants","volume":"336","author":"SW Behie","year":"2012","journal-title":"Science"},{"issue":"47","key":"ppat.1012639.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"16796","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1412662111","article-title":"St. Leger RJ, Wang C. 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