Influence of Temperature on the Life-Cycle Dynamics of Aedes albopictus Population Established at Temperate Latitudes: A Laboratory Experiment
1
Research and Innovation Centre, Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Fondazione Edmund Mach, 38010 San Michele all’Adige, Italy
2
Epilab-JRU, FEM-FBK Joint Research Unit, Province of Trento, 38100 Trento, Italy
3
Center for Information and Communication Technology, Bruno Kessler Foundation, 38123 Trento, Italy
4
Center Agriculture Food Environment, University of Trento, 38010 San Michele all’Adige, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Insects 2020, 11(11), 808; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11110808
Received: 27 October 2020
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Revised: 12 November 2020
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Accepted: 13 November 2020
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Published: 17 November 2020
(This article belongs to the Section Insect Ecology, Diversity and Conservation)
Simple Summary
Mosquitoes represent a potential major public health concern, as they are capable of transmitting several pathogens when biting humans. It is well known that temperature is a crucial factor affecting mosquito biology: for instance, warmer conditions can increase survival and fecundity. Here, we quantify the influence of different temperatures on the bionomics of Aedes albopictus, which is a mosquito species native to Southeast Asia that has been able to spread worldwide during the last forty years. We used specimens collected from northern Italy to assess if temperate individuals are characterized, possibly thanks to an adaptation process, by a different thermal response with respect to subtropical individuals. We found that immature stages are well adapted to colder temperatures, which nonetheless seem to prevent any blood-feeding activity. Adult longevity and fecundity were substantially greater at mild conditions. This thermal adaptation might increase the length of the breeding season and could allow the colonization of areas at higher altitude, resulting in an overall increased risk for potential transmission of Ae. albopictus-borne pathogens.
The mosquito species Aedes albopictus has successfully colonized many areas at temperate latitudes, representing a major public health concern. As mosquito bionomics is critically affected by temperature, we experimentally investigated the influence of different constant rearing temperatures (10, 15, 25, and 30 °C) on the survival rates, fecundity, and developmental times of different life stages of Ae. albopictus using a laboratory colony established from specimens collected in northern Italy. We compared our results with previously published data obtained with subtropical populations. We found that temperate Ae. albopictus immature stages are better adapted to colder temperatures: temperate larvae were able to develop even at 10 °C and at 15 °C, larval survivorship was comparable to the one observed at warmer conditions. Nonetheless, at these lower temperatures, we did not observe any blood-feeding activity. Adult longevity and fecundity were substantially greater at 25 °C with respect to the other tested temperatures. Our findings highlight the ability of Ae. albopictus to quickly adapt to colder environments and provide new important insights on the bionomics of this species at temperate latitudes.
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Keywords:
mosquito bionomics; mosquito dynamics; invasive species
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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
MDPI and ACS Style
Marini, G.; Manica, M.; Arnoldi, D.; Inama, E.; Rosà, R.; Rizzoli, A. Influence of Temperature on the Life-Cycle Dynamics of Aedes albopictus Population Established at Temperate Latitudes: A Laboratory Experiment. Insects 2020, 11, 808. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11110808
AMA Style
Marini G, Manica M, Arnoldi D, Inama E, Rosà R, Rizzoli A. Influence of Temperature on the Life-Cycle Dynamics of Aedes albopictus Population Established at Temperate Latitudes: A Laboratory Experiment. Insects. 2020; 11(11):808. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11110808
Chicago/Turabian StyleMarini, Giovanni, Mattia Manica, Daniele Arnoldi, Enrico Inama, Roberto Rosà, and Annapaola Rizzoli. 2020. "Influence of Temperature on the Life-Cycle Dynamics of Aedes albopictus Population Established at Temperate Latitudes: A Laboratory Experiment" Insects 11, no. 11: 808. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11110808
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