Effects of removal or reduced density of the malaria mosquito, Anopheles gambiae s.l., on interacting predators and competitors in local ecosystems
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Published version
Author(s)
Collins, CM
Bonds, Jane
Quinlan, Megan
Mumford, John
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
New genetic control methods for mosquitoes may reduce vector species without direct effects on other species or the physical environment common with insecticides or drainage. Effects on predators and competitors could, however, be a concern as Anopheles gambiae s.l. is preyed upon in all life stages. We overview the literature and assess the strength of the ecological interactions identified. Most predators identified consume many other insect species and there is no evidence that any species preys exclusively on any anopheline mosquito. There is one predatory species with a specialisation on blood‐fed mosquitoes including An. gambiae s.l.. Evarcha culicivora is a jumping spider, known as the vampire spider, found around Lake Victoria. There is no evidence that these salticids require Anopheles mosquitoes and will readily consume blood‐fed Culex. Interspecific competition studies focus on other mosquitoes of larval habitats. Many of these take place in artificial cosms and give contrasting results to semi‐field studies. This may limit their extrapolation regarding the potential impact of reduced An. gambiae numbers. Previous mosquito control interventions are informative and identify competitive release and niche opportunism; so while the identity and relative abundance of the species present may change, the biomass available to predators may not.
Date Issued
2019-03-01
Date Acceptance
2018-06-15
Citation
Medical and Veterinary Entomology, 2019, 33 (1), pp.1-15
ISSN
0269-283X
Publisher
Wiley
Start Page
1
End Page
15
Journal / Book Title
Medical and Veterinary Entomology
Volume
33
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© 2018 The Authors. Medical and Veterinary Entomology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Royal Entomological Society. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Sponsor
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Grant Number
OPP1141988
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Entomology
Veterinary Sciences
Competition
ecology
environmental impact assessment
environmental risk assessment
mosquito
malaria
predation
vector control
TRIOPS-LONGICAUDATUS NOTOSTRACA
DIPTERA-CULICIDAE
WESTERN KENYA
BIOLOGICAL-CONTROL
TEMPORAL DYNAMICS
ARABIENSIS PATTON
IMMATURE STAGES
GENETIC-CONTROL
TADPOLE SHRIMP
FEEDING-HABITS
Competition
ecology
environmental impact assessment
environmental risk assessment
malaria
mosquito
predation
vector control
Animals
Anopheles
Ecosystem
Food Chain
Malaria
Mosquito Control
Mosquito Vectors
Population Density
Animals
Anopheles
Malaria
Ecosystem
Food Chain
Population Density
Mosquito Control
Mosquito Vectors
06 Biological Sciences
07 Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences
11 Medical and Health Sciences
Tropical Medicine
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2018-07-25