Raspberries are a battleground between flies, yeast and fungi

A species of fly works along with a yeast to fight a raspberry-bound fungus that threatens the bugs' larvae

A Drosophila suzukii fruit fly on a raspberry

Cyrus Mahmoudi

The unassuming raspberry performs host to an ecological battleground, as a fly, a yeast and a fungus vie for dominance on its floor.

Raspberries produce ethylene gasoline as they mature, and infrequently get colonised by Botrytis cinerea, the gray mould you discover on fruit left too lengthy within the fridge. This poses an issue for the fruit fly Drosophila suzukii, which feeds on raspberries, as its larvae are very delicate to each the fungus and ethylene.

Now, Paul Becher on the Swedish …