Environmental predictors of mating competitiveness in male anopheles gambiae sensu stricto (DIPTERA: CULICIDAE) mosquitoes

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dc.contributor.authorNg'habi, Kija Richard
dc.date.accessioned2019-12-04T07:58:09Z
dc.date.accessioned2020-01-07T15:46:13Z
dc.date.available2019-12-04T07:58:09Z
dc.date.available2020-01-07T15:46:13Z
dc.date.issued2007
dc.descriptionAvailable in print form, East Africana Collection, Dr. Wilbert Chagula Library, Class mark (THS EAF QL536.N53)en_US
dc.description.abstractThe enhancement of mating competitiveness of released males carrying the malaria refractory gene to be introduced among wild populations of females of Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes, is critical to malaria-vector control programmes. Current evidence suggests that genetically engineered males have low mating fitness. As a means to compensate for this reduced fitness, this study was undertaken in an effort to identify environmental conditions that maximize their mating competitiveness and optimise laboratory-rearing regimes.Anopheles gambiae first instar larvae were subjected to three different crowding treatments in the first experiment and three treatments in each experiment were competed against each other for access to females to assess their mating competitiveness. Their long-term survival and teneral energetic reserves were assessed. The low-crowding treatment males were 11 times more competitive than males from high crowding and 3 times more than males from medium crowding treatment. The medium nutritional level males were 6 times more competitive than males from the high nutritional level and 2 times more than those from low nutritional level. Long-term survival and energetic reserves did not influence mating competitiveness. Body size influenced the overall probability of males to secure female mates, but mating competitiveness was dictated by phenotypic similarity of males to the available females. Therefore, releasing males that are phenotypicaly close/similar to the abundant females in the wild would maximize the mating lications of the results to the new vector competitiveness of released males. The implication of the results to the new vector control approaches is discussed.en_US
dc.identifier.citationNg'habi, K. R. (2007) Environmental predictors of mating competitiveness in male anopheles gambiae sensu stricto (DIPTERA: CULICIDAE) mosquitoes, Master dissertation, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaamen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://localhost:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/1836
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherUnversity of Dar es Salaamen_US
dc.subjectAnopheles gambiaeen_US
dc.subjectMosquitoesen_US
dc.subjectLavaeen_US
dc.subjectMalariaen_US
dc.subjectPreventionen_US
dc.titleEnvironmental predictors of mating competitiveness in male anopheles gambiae sensu stricto (DIPTERA: CULICIDAE) mosquitoesen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

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