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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2020.08.24.264309

Malaria mosquitoes acquire and allocate cattle urine to enhance life history traits

Dawit, M.·Hill, S. R.·Birgersson, G.·Tekie, H.·Ignell, R.
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Abstract

Nutrient acquisition and allocation integrate foraging and life-history traits in insects. To compensate for the lack of a particular nutrient at different life stages, insects may acquire these through supplementary feeding on e.g., vertebrate secretions, in a process known as puddling. The mosquito Anopheles arabiensis emerges undernourished, and as such, requires nutrients for both metabolism and reproduction. Host-seeking and blood-fed An. arabiensis are attracted to the natural and synthetic odour of cattle urine, which signals a source of nutrients, but not the presence of a host or oviposition site. Females actively imbibe cattle urine, and its main nitrogenous compound, urea, and allocate these resources according to life history trade-offs to flight, survival or reproduction, as a function of physiological state. As a consequence, this behaviour affects vectorial capacity by increasing daily survival and vector density, and thus should be considered in future models. Future vector management strategies are discussed.

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Dawit, M., Hill, S. R., Birgersson, G., Tekie, H., Ignell, R.. 2020-08-24. Malaria mosquitoes acquire and allocate cattle urine to enhance life history traits. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.08.24.264309

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