Journal
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE
Volume 85, Issue 2, Pages 265-270Publisher
AMER SOC TROP MED & HYGIENE
DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.2011.10-0677
Keywords
-
Funding
- Keele University
- NTH [2R01 AI044973]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Upon mating, male mosquitoes transfer accessory gland proteins (Acps) that induce refractoriness to further mating in females. This can also occur because of cross-insemination by males of related species, a process known as mating interference (satyrization). This mechanism could explain the competitive displacement of resident Aedes aegypti by the invasive Aedes albopictus where they co-occur. We tested this hypothesis in mosquito populations in Florida. A new polymerase chain reaction species diagnostic applied to sperm dissected from 304 field-collected females revealed bidirectional cross-mating in five (1.6%) individuals. Cross-injections of females with Acps showed that Ae. albopictus males induced monogamy in heterospecific females but not Ae. aegypti males. Despite its low frequency in the areas under study, the first evidence of cross-mating in nature and the asymmetric effect of Acps on mating suggest that satyrization may have initially contributed to the observed competitive reduction of Ae. aegypti by invasive Ae. albopictus in many areas.
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