Abstract
Harmonic convergence is a potential cue, female mosquitoes use to choose male mates. However, very little is known about the benefits this choice confers to offspring performance. Using Aedes aegypti (an important vector of human disease), we investigated whether offspring of converging parental pairs showed differences in immune competence compared to offspring derived from non-converging parental pairs. Here we show that harmonic convergence, along with several other interacting factors (sex, age, reproductive, and physiological status), significantly shaped offspring immune responses (melanization and response to a bacterial challenge). Harmonic convergence had a stronger effect on the immune response of male offspring than on female offspring. Further, female offspring from converging parental pairs disseminated dengue virus more quickly than offspring derived from non-converging parental pairs. Our results provide insight into a wide range of selective pressures shaping mosquito immune function and could have important implications for disease transmission and control.
Highlights
Harmonic convergence is a potential cue, female mosquitoes use to choose male mates
A total of 4263 eggs were generated from four recording events for dengue virus (DENV) infections, divided according to parental convergence status (n = 2123 from converged and n = 2140 from not converged parental pairs), and randomly allocated across three replicates
We did not observe a significant effect of parental convergence status on melanization response
Summary
Harmonic convergence is a potential cue, female mosquitoes use to choose male mates. very little is known about the benefits this choice confers to offspring performance. As the male approaches the female, both sexes engage in a dynamic acoustic interaction where both individuals modulate their wingbeat frequency so it overlaps at a harmonic overtone[40,41,42,43] This phenomenon, harmonic convergence, has been suggested as a mechanism used by females to assess and select among potential mates[30,41], but see refs. An extension of sexual selection theory that could have important ramifications for the success of novel vector control technologies utilizing genetically modified males (and vector-borne disease transmission in general) involves the selective role of parasites and pathogens in mediating mate choice. The theory of parasite-mediated sexual selection predicts that females use proximate cues (i.e., mating displays, ornamentation, etc.) as a signal of the potential mate’s ability to resist parasites and pathogens, which can benefit her directly (by minimizing her contact with any parasites and pathogens the male might carry) or indirectly when these resistance traits are passed on to her offspring[48]
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