Poda S. B., Buatois B., Lapeyre B., Dormont L., Diabaté A., Gnankiné O., Dabiré R. K., Roux Olivier. (2022). No evidence for long-range male sex pheromones in two malaria mosquitoes [rev. PCI Ecology]. Nature Ecology and Evolution, [Early access], [14 p.]. ISSN 2397-334X.
Titre du document
No evidence for long-range male sex pheromones in two malaria mosquitoes [rev. PCI Ecology]
Cues involved in mate seeking and recognition prevent hybridization and can be involved in speciation processes. In malaria mosquitoes, females of the two sibling species Anopheles gambiae s.s. and An. coluzzii mate in monospecific male swarms and hybrids are rare. Long-range sex pheromones driving this behaviour have been debated in literature but so far, no study has proven their existence or their absence. Here, we attempted to bring to light their existence. To put all the odds in our favour, we used different chemical ecology methods such as behavioural and electrophysiological assays as well chemical analyses, and we worked with mosquitoes at their optimal physiological mating state that is with swarming males during their natural swarming windows. Despite all our efforts, our results support the absence of long-range sex pheromones involved in swarm detection and recognition by females. We briefly discuss the implications of this finding in ecology, evolution and for control strategies. A series of behavioural, electrophysiological and chemical assays are used to attempt to detect long-range sex pheromones involved in species-specific male swarm recognition by Anopheles female mosquitoes, but no evidence is found.
Plan de classement
Sciences fondamentales / Techniques d'analyse et de recherche [020]
;
Entomologie médicale / Parasitologie / Virologie [052]
