Journal
JOURNAL OF VECTOR ECOLOGY
Volume 37, Issue 2, Pages 289-297Publisher
SOC VECTOR ECOLOGY
DOI: 10.1111/j.1948-7134.2012.00230.x
Keywords
Anopheles gambiae; males; sugar-feeding; mating success; energy
Categories
Funding
- Multilateral Initiative on Malaria [TDR-MIM A80690]
- MRC/DfID African Research Leadership Award [97014]
- Medical Research Council [G1001336] Funding Source: researchfish
- MRC [G1001336] Funding Source: UKRI
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Anopheles gambiae mates in flight. Males gather at stationary places at sunset and compete for incoming females. Factors that account for male mating success are not known but are critical for the future of any genetic control strategy. The current study explored variations in nutritional reserves (sugars, glycogen, lipids, and proteins) in wild-caught swarming and resting males and evaluated the effect of body size and wing symmetry on male mating success. Our results showed that glycogen and sugar reserves are mobilized for flight. Males consume proportionally 5.9-fold as much energy derived from sugars in swarming activities than when they are at rest. Mated males were on average bigger than unmated ones (P<0.0001). A strong correlation between the left and right wings in both mated and unmated males was found and additional analysis on fluctuating asymmetry did not show any indication of mated males being more symmetrical than unmated ones. The distribution of wing size of mated males was focused around a central value, suggesting that intermediate size of males is advantageous in the An. gambiae mating system. The results are discussed in the context of sexual selection.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available