Energetic shifts reflect survival likelihood in Anopheles gambiae.

ABSTRACT: Life history theory predicts that resource allocation adapts to ecological and evolutionary pressures. We investigated resource and energy in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae following exposure to two stressors: blood meals and infection by the microsporidian Vavraia culicis. Our findings reveal the costs of blood-feeding and parasitism on longevity, highlighting trade-offs in lifetime protein, carbohydrate, and lipid reserves. Notably, shifts in carbohydrate-to-lipid ratios were associated with survival likelihood, with survivors exhibiting higher resource reserves and uniquely transitioning from carbohydrate to lipid utilisation, a pattern absent in non-survivors. This study emphasises the coevolutionary dynamics between hosts and parasites, highlighting how intrinsic and extrinsic f

SUBMITTER: Zeferino TG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12612041 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature