Abstract
BackgroundKnowing the underlying mechanisms of mosquito ecology will ensure effective vector management and contribute to the overall goal of malaria control. Mosquito populations show a high degree of population plasticity in response to environmental variability. However, the principle factors controlling population size and fecundity are for the most part unknown. Larval habitat and diet play a crucial role in subsequent mosquito fitness. Developing the most competitive insects for sterile insect technique programmes requires a “production” orientated perspective, to deduce the most effective larval diet formulation; the information gained from this process offers us some insight into the mechanisms and processes taking place in natural native mosquito habitats.Methodology/Principal FindingsFatty acid profiles and de-novo or direct assimilation pathways, of whole-individual mosquitoes reared on a range of larval diets were determined using pyrolysis gas chromatograph/mass spectrometry. We used elemental analysis and isotope ratio mass spectrometry to measure individual-whole-body carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous values and to assess the impact of dietary quality on subsequent population stoichiometry, size, quality and isotopic signature. Diet had the greatest impact on fatty acid (FA) profiles of the mosquitoes, which exhibited a high degree of dietary routing, characteristic of generalist feeders. De-novo synthesis of a number of important FAs was observed. Mosquito C:N stoichiometry was fixed in the teneral stage. Dietary N content had significant influence on mosquito size, and P was shown to be a flexible pool which limited overall population size.Conclusions/SignificanceDirect routing of FAs was evident but there was ubiquitous de-novo synthesis suggesting mosquito larvae are competent generalist feeders capable of survival on diet with varying characteristics. It was concluded that nitrogen availability in the larval diet controlled teneral mosquito size and that teneral CN ratio is a sex- and species-specific fixed parameter. This finding has significant implications for overall mosquito competitiveness and environmental management.
Highlights
Understanding mosquito ecology has recently been prioritized as a prerequisite for malaria eradication [1]
There was a stronger correlation for total body nitrogen (TBN) and wing length (r2 = 0.61 p,0.0001), and this interaction was stronger in females than males
We have shown that fatty acids such as arachidonic acid [32] which have previously been shown to be essential for Culex species were only present in around 80% of male and 60% of female mosquitoes, with de-novo synthesis evident in at least 50% of the mosquitoes sampled
Summary
Understanding mosquito ecology has recently been prioritized as a prerequisite for malaria eradication [1]. Many studies have shown that the growth rates of larval mosquito vectors are negatively correlated with their population size, resulting in smaller, more robust and fecund populations, the mechanisms underlying this plasticity are largely unexplored [1,2,3]. One of the key factors controlling population dynamics and body size is larval nutrition, and previous studies have shown that nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) availabilities are important ecological determinants in other insects [3,5]. Knowing the underlying mechanisms of mosquito ecology will ensure effective vector management and contribute to the overall goal of malaria control. Developing the most competitive insects for sterile insect technique programmes requires a ‘‘production’’ orientated perspective, to deduce the most effective larval diet formulation; the information gained from this process offers us some insight into the mechanisms and processes taking place in natural native mosquito habitats
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