Linking individual phenotype to density-dependent population growth: the influence of body size on the population dynamics of malaria vectors

Linking individual phenotype to density-dependent population growth: the influence of body size on the population dynamics of malaria vectors

Understanding the endogenous factors that drive the population dynamics of malaria mosquitoes will facilitate more accurate predictions about vector control effectiveness and our ability to destabilize the growth of either low- or high-density insect populations. We assessed whether variation in phe...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Russell, Tanya L., Lwetoijera, Dickson W., Knols, Bart G. J., Takken, Willem, Killeen, Gerry F., Ferguson, Heather M.
Format: Online
Language:English
Published: The Royal Society 2011
Online Access:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3158942/
id pubmed-3158942
recordtype oai_dc
spelling pubmed-31589422011-09-01 Linking individual phenotype to density-dependent population growth: the influence of body size on the population dynamics of malaria vectors Russell, Tanya L. Lwetoijera, Dickson W. Knols, Bart G. J. Takken, Willem Killeen, Gerry F. Ferguson, Heather M. Research Articles Understanding the endogenous factors that drive the population dynamics of malaria mosquitoes will facilitate more accurate predictions about vector control effectiveness and our ability to destabilize the growth of either low- or high-density insect populations. We assessed whether variation in phenotypic traits predict the dynamics of Anopheles gambiae sensu lato mosquitoes, the most important vectors of human malaria. Anopheles gambiae dynamics were monitored over a six-month period of seasonal growth and decline. The population exhibited density-dependent feedback, with the carrying capacity being modified by rainfall (97% wAICc support). The individual phenotypic expression of the maternal (p = 0.0001) and current (p = 0.040) body size positively influenced population growth. Our field-based evidence uniquely demonstrates that individual fitness can have population-level impacts and, furthermore, can mitigate the impact of exogenous drivers (e.g. rainfall) in species whose reproduction depends upon it. Once frontline interventions have suppressed mosquito densities, attempts to eliminate malaria with supplementary vector control tools may be attenuated by increased population growth and individual fitness. The Royal Society 2011-10-22 2011-03-09 /pmc/articles/PMC3158942/ /pubmed/21389034 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2011.0153 Text en This journal is © 2011 The Royal Society http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
repository_type Open Access Journal
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution US National Center for Biotechnology Information
building NCBI PubMed
collection Online Access
language English
format Online
author Russell, Tanya L.
Lwetoijera, Dickson W.
Knols, Bart G. J.
Takken, Willem
Killeen, Gerry F.
Ferguson, Heather M.
spellingShingle Russell, Tanya L.
Lwetoijera, Dickson W.
Knols, Bart G. J.
Takken, Willem
Killeen, Gerry F.
Ferguson, Heather M.
Linking individual phenotype to density-dependent population growth: the influence of body size on the population dynamics of malaria vectors
author_facet Russell, Tanya L.
Lwetoijera, Dickson W.
Knols, Bart G. J.
Takken, Willem
Killeen, Gerry F.
Ferguson, Heather M.
author_sort Russell, Tanya L.
title Linking individual phenotype to density-dependent population growth: the influence of body size on the population dynamics of malaria vectors
title_short Linking individual phenotype to density-dependent population growth: the influence of body size on the population dynamics of malaria vectors
title_full Linking individual phenotype to density-dependent population growth: the influence of body size on the population dynamics of malaria vectors
title_fullStr Linking individual phenotype to density-dependent population growth: the influence of body size on the population dynamics of malaria vectors
title_full_unstemmed Linking individual phenotype to density-dependent population growth: the influence of body size on the population dynamics of malaria vectors
title_sort linking individual phenotype to density-dependent population growth: the influence of body size on the population dynamics of malaria vectors
description Understanding the endogenous factors that drive the population dynamics of malaria mosquitoes will facilitate more accurate predictions about vector control effectiveness and our ability to destabilize the growth of either low- or high-density insect populations. We assessed whether variation in phenotypic traits predict the dynamics of Anopheles gambiae sensu lato mosquitoes, the most important vectors of human malaria. Anopheles gambiae dynamics were monitored over a six-month period of seasonal growth and decline. The population exhibited density-dependent feedback, with the carrying capacity being modified by rainfall (97% wAICc support). The individual phenotypic expression of the maternal (p = 0.0001) and current (p = 0.040) body size positively influenced population growth. Our field-based evidence uniquely demonstrates that individual fitness can have population-level impacts and, furthermore, can mitigate the impact of exogenous drivers (e.g. rainfall) in species whose reproduction depends upon it. Once frontline interventions have suppressed mosquito densities, attempts to eliminate malaria with supplementary vector control tools may be attenuated by increased population growth and individual fitness.
publisher The Royal Society
publishDate 2011
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3158942/
_version_ 1611471536175185920

Similar Items