Odour-mediated oviposition-site selection by mosquitoes

Abstract

The exploration of the chemical ecology of oviposition behaviour in mosquitoes provides the means to describe the role of volatile organic compounds used by gravid mosquitoes to secure intrinsic fitness. Gravid mosquitoes do this by using odour-mediated selection for sites, which minimises larval mortality and maximises growth rate through decreased competition and predation, as well as providing increased access to food resources. Oviposition sites and their surrounding habitats are rich sources for odours. Identifying which of these odorants gravid mosquitoes are using as oviposition site cues, and in which combinations, has been under investigation for almost a century. With the advent of techniques, including combined chemical and electrophysiological detection, functional genomics and reverse chemical ecology, the screening of these vast natural resources has accelerated and provided the approaches necessary to unravel the mechanisms that regulate mosquito oviposition-site selection. The use of attractive and stimulating odorant blends as lures to surveille and control gravid and ovipositing mosquitoes has long been advocated, and with the recent advancements in chemical ecology, may soon become a reality.

Published in

Title: Sensory ecology of disease vectors
Publisher: Wageningen Academic Publishers

SLU Authors

• Khan, Zaid

  • Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Ignell, Rickard

  • Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Hill, Sharon

  • Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Evolutionary Biology
Ecology

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-932-9_14
• ISBN: 978-90-8686-380-8
• eISBN: 978-90-8686-932-9

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/139571