This fungal genus sees use as pest control against invasive insects like the cotton mealybug and as traditional Chinese medicine. For 10 points each:
[10e] Name this fungal genus prominent in the 2023 zeitgeist that consists of approximately 600 species, most of which are especially evolved for a single host that they “zombify” before sprouting characteristic stalks.
ANSWER: Cordyceps
[10m] Another agent of biological pest control is this clade of insects, many of which inject their prey with polydnaviruses (“po-LID-nuh-viruses”). Aphids and whiteflies maintain the endosymbiont Hamiltonella defensa to protect against these insects.
ANSWER: parasitoid wasps [prompt on wasps; prompt on Orussoidea, Apocrita, or Vespidae by asking “what non-taxonomic group contains that clade?”]
[10h] To replace insecticides, plants may be engineered to produce these compounds from the bacteria B. thuringiensis. These compounds engage in domain III swapping and lyse epithelial cells by forming pores in their membranes.
ANSWER: Cry toxins [or Cry proteins, crystal toxins, crystal proteins, or delta-endotoxins]
<Munir Siddiqui, Biology>