Vogel, H.H.VogelSchmidtberg, H.H.SchmidtbergVilcinskas, A.A.Vilcinskas2022-03-052022-03-052016https://publica.fraunhofer.de/handle/publica/24585210.1016/j.dci.2016.09.015The spread of the invasive harlequin ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) in Europe is accompanied by the decline of the native and non-invasive two-spotted ladybird (Adalia bipunctata). Here we show that microsporidia carried by . H.,axyridis can kill . A.,bipunctata following the oral uptake of spores, suggesting that their horizontal transmission via intraguild predation may help the invader to outcompete its native competitor. The native seven-spotted ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata) is thought to be less susceptible both to the spread of . H.,axyridis and to its microsporidia. To investigate whether the distinct levels of pathogen susceptibility in these three ladybird species are determined by their immune systems, we compared the immunity-related transcriptomes of untreated beetles and beetles challenged with suspensions of bacteria and yeast. We found that .enjournal article