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Sexual selection theory meets disease vector control: Testing harmonic convergence as a 'good genes' signal in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes
- Source :
- PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Vol 15, Iss 7, p e0009540 (2021)
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- Public Library of Science, 2021.
-
Abstract
- Background The mosquito Aedes aegypti is a medically important, globally distributed vector of the viruses that cause dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya, and Zika. Although reproduction and mate choice are key components of vector population dynamics and control, our understanding of the mechanisms of sexual selection in mosquitoes remains poor. In “good genes” models of sexual selection, females use male cues as an indicator of both mate and offspring genetic quality. Recent studies in Ae. aegypti provide evidence that male wingbeats may signal aspects of offspring quality and performance during mate selection in a process known as harmonic convergence. However, the extent to which harmonic convergence may signal overall inherent quality of mates and their offspring remains unknown. Methodology/Principal findings To examine this, we measured the relationship between acoustic signaling and a broad panel of parent and offspring fitness traits in two generations of field-derived Ae. aegypti originating from dengue-endemic field sites in Thailand. Our data show that in this population of mosquitoes, harmonic convergence does not signal male fertility, female fecundity, or male flight performance traits, which despite displaying robust variability in both parents and their offspring were only weakly heritable. Conclusions/Significance Together, our findings suggest that vector reproductive control programs should treat harmonic convergence as an indicator of some, but not all aspects of inherent quality, and that sexual selection likely affects Ae. aegypti in a trait-, population-, and environment-dependent manner.<br />Author summary Mosquitoes transmit numerous pathogens that disproportionately impact developing countries. The mosquito Aedes aegypti, studied here, transmits viruses that cause neglected tropical diseases such as dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya, and Zika. Disease prevention programs rely heavily upon mosquito vector control. To successfully interrupt disease transmission, several control methods depend upon the ability of laboratory-modified male mosquitoes to successfully mate with wild females to suppress or replace natural populations. However, our understanding of what determines mating success in mosquitoes is far from complete. Our study addresses the question of whether female Ae. aegypti mosquitoes use male acoustic signals to select higher quality mates and improve their offspring’s fitness. We find that acoustic signals do not serve as universal indicators of fitness. Further, the fitness metrics we measured were only weakly heritable, suggesting that females that mate with high quality males do not necessarily produce fitter offspring. Our study provides a nuanced understanding of mate choice, mating acoustic signals, and parent and offspring reproductive fitness in a key disease-transmitting mosquito species. These discoveries improve our grasp of sexual selection in mosquitoes and can be leveraged by the vector control community to improve vitally important disease prevention programs.
- Subjects :
- Male
Sexual Selection
Mosquito Control
RC955-962
Population Dynamics
Disease Vectors
Mosquitoes
Infographics
Sexual Behavior, Animal
0302 clinical medicine
Medical Conditions
Aedes
Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine
Medicine and Health Sciences
Natural Selection
11 Medical and Health Sciences
Data Management
0303 health sciences
education.field_of_study
biology
Physics
Reproduction
Eukaryota
Fecundity
Thailand
Insects
Infectious Diseases
Mate choice
Sexual selection
Physical Sciences
Trait
Female
Public aspects of medicine
RA1-1270
Graphs
Research Article
Computer and Information Sciences
Evolutionary Processes
Arthropoda
Infectious Disease Control
Offspring
030231 tropical medicine
Population
Aedes aegypti
Mosquito Vectors
Aedes Aegypti
03 medical and health sciences
Population Metrics
Tropical Medicine
Acoustic Signals
Animals
education
030304 developmental biology
Evolutionary Biology
Population Biology
Data Visualization
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Organisms
Biology and Life Sciences
Acoustics
06 Biological Sciences
biology.organism_classification
Invertebrates
Insect Vectors
Species Interactions
Evolutionary biology
Vector (epidemiology)
Zoology
Entomology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 19352735 and 19352727
- Volume :
- 15
- Issue :
- 7
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....528322b3a967a41c16a1585e07086254