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Species of  Fusarium  have significant agro-economical and human health-related impact by infecting diverse crop plants and synthesizing diverse mycotoxins. Here, we investigated interactions of grain-feeding  Tenebrio molitor  larvae with four grain-colonizing  Fusarium  species on wheat kernels. Since numerous metabolites produced by  Fusarium  spp. are toxic to insects, we tested the hypothesis that the insect senses and avoids  Fusarium -colonized grains. We found that only kernels colonized with  F. avenaceum  or  Beauveria bassiana  (an insect-pathogenic fungal control) were avoided by the larvae as expected. Kernels colonized with  F. proliferatum, F. poae  or  F. culmorum  attracted  T. molitor  larvae significantly more than control kernels. The avoidance/preference correlated with larval feeding behaviors and weight gain. Interestingly, larvae that had consumed  F. proliferatum-  or  F. poae- colonized kernels had similar survival rates as control. Larvae fed on  F. culmorum -,  F. avenaceum - or  B. bassiana -colonized kernels had elevated mortality rates. HPLC analyses confirmed the following mycotoxins produced by the fungal strains on the kernels: fumonisins, enniatins and beauvericin by  F. proliferatum , enniatins and beauvericin by  F. poae,  enniatins by  F. avenaceum,  and deoxynivalenol and zearalenone by  F. culmorum . Our results indicate that  T. molitor  larvae have the ability to sense potential survival threats of kernels colonized with  F. avenaceum  or  B. bassiana , but not with  F. culmorum . Volatiles potentially along with gustatory cues produced by these fungi may represent survival threat signals for the larvae resulting in their avoidance. Although  F. proliferatum  or  F. poae  produced fumonisins, enniatins and beauvericin during kernel colonization, the larvae were able to use those kernels as diet without exhibiting increased mortality. Consumption of  F. avenaceum -colonized kernels, however, increased larval mortality; these kernels had higher enniatin levels than  F. proliferatum  or  F. poae -colonized ones suggesting that  T. molitor  can tolerate or metabolize those toxins.

Effect of Fungal Colonization of Wheat Grains with Fusarium spp. on Food Choice, Weight Gain and Mortality of Meal Beetle Larvae (Tenebrio molitor)