Cicadas and 'Mind Control' Fungi - Final Update!

 

       In an ongoing series I have been developing called Irreparable Change, I've been using contemporary climate change research along with evolutionary and natural biology to hypothesize and design potential evolutions in animals. This work is, in many ways, in conversation with the Speculative Evolution community. However, unlike much of the more fantastical work in the genre, I am focused on educating my audience on the current global issues that could actually result in evolutions such as these.

        

        Magicicada magna & Magicicada octo are based on my research of the 13- and 17-year periodical cicadas and the parasitic behavior-altering fungi Massospora cicadina. Before I could begin designing my speculative cicadas, I started researching the relationship between the insects and the fungi; this includes their life cycle, diet, habitat, predators, and environmental limits. After I was familiar with the species I began to think about how climate change could affect them, such as a warmer climate and more humid atmosphere. I decided that there could be two ways that cicadas could evolve to these conditions and so the insect branched off into two different species. Then it was time to design the new future insects based on their ancestor, and after using watercolor and colored pencil to create them traditionally, I used Adobe Photoshop to edit them into the digital book format.

"As the name implies Magicicada magna is much larger than its relatives. Their warm and humid environment caused trees to thrive and they use their ample food source to grow large bodies during their 17 year nymph phase. Their heavy bodies mean that it takes more energy to fly, mate, and evade predators. To help conserve energy they have stark black bodies to absorb sunlight efficiently.

Magicicada octo evolved in quite a different way than its relatives. Their increased access to food causes the nymphs to mature at an accelerated rate, cutting their 17 year growth stage down to 8 years. These cicadas are much smaller and faster, and therefore do not need to sunbathe nearly as long to conserve energy. In fact if they get too much sun the cicadas open their wings to reveal their waxy white bodies to repel sunlight.

Both species are still afflicted with the parasitic fungi, Massospora cicadina, but it affects the species differently. M. cicadina releases higher doses of the stimulant canonine for Magicicada magna, while it releases greater amounts of the psychoactive drug psilocybin for Magicicada octo."

        In the past I have made the work by myself and for myself. But as I continue to explore my identity as an artist I find myself eager to collaborate with other artists and scientists to expand this project, and to one day get it into the minds of the public. Thank you for following my progress on this work, and keep an eye out for my work in the future!

Bonus work:

You can view this artwork now in the Art±Biology Methods Exhibition.