Egg-laying by female Aedes aegypti shapes the bacterial communities of breeding sites.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Aedes aegypti, the main arboviral mosquito vector, is attracted to human dwellings and makes use of human-generated breeding sites. Past research has shown that bacterial communities associated with such sites undergo compositional shifts as larvae develop and that exposure to different bacteria during larval stages can have an impact on mosquito development and life-history traits. Based on these facts, we hypothesized that female Ae. aegypti shape the bacteria communities of breeding sites during oviposition as a form of niche construction to favor offspring fitness.

Results

To test this hypothesis, we first verified that gravid females can act as mechanical vectors of bacteria. We then elaborated an experimental scheme to test the impact of oviposition on breed

SUBMITTER: Mosquera KD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10134544 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature