Effects of the removal or reduction in density of the malaria mosquito, <i><scp>Anopheles gambiae</scp> s.l</i>., on interacting predators and competitors in local ecosystems

Collins, C. Matilda; Bonds, J. A. S.; Quinlan, M. Megan; Mumford, John

doi:10.1111/mve.12327

Cited by 59 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 116 publications

(148 reference statements)

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“…gambiae . There is an understanding of what potential interacting species there are [51] and key non-target organisms could be studied more specifically in tandem with releases to evaluate hypothesised effects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large-cage assessment of a transgenic sex-ratio distortion strain on populations of an African malaria vector

et al. 2019

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BackgroundNovel transgenic mosquito control methods require progressively more realistic evaluation. The goal of this study was to determine the effect of a transgene that causes a male-bias sex ratio on Anopheles gambiae target populations in large insectary cages.MethodsLife history characteristics of Anopheles gambiae wild type and Ag(PMB)1 (aka gfp124L-2) transgenic mosquitoes, whose progeny are 95% male, were measured in order to parameterize predictive population models. Ag(PMB)1 males were then introduced at two ratios into large insectary cages containing target wild type populations with stable age distributions and densities. The predicted proportion of females and those observed in the large cages were compared. A related model was then used to predict effects of male releases on wild mosquitoes in a west African village.ResultsThe frequency of transgenic mosquitoes in target populations reached an average of 0.44 ± 0.02 and 0.56 ± 0.02 after 6 weeks in the 1:1 and in the 3:1 release ratio treatments (transgenic male:wild male) respectively. Transgenic males caused sex-ratio distortion of 73% and 80% males in the 1:1 and 3:1 treatments, respectively. The number of eggs laid in the transgenic treatments declined as the experiment progressed, with a steeper decline in the 3:1 than in the 1:1 releases. The results of the experiment are partially consistent with predictions of the model; effect size and variability did not conform to the model in two out of three trials, effect size was over-estimated by the model and variability was greater than anticipated, possibly because of sampling effects in restocking. The model estimating the effects of hypothetical releases on the mosquito population of a West African village demonstrated that releases could significantly reduce the number of females in the wild population. The interval of releases is not expected to have a strong effect.ConclusionsThe biological data produced to parameterize the model, the model itself, and the results of the experiments are components of a system to evaluate and predict the performance of transgenic mosquitoes. Together these suggest that the Ag(PMB)1 strain has the potential to be useful for reversible population suppression while this novel field develops.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large-cage assessment of a transgenic sex-ratio distortion strain on populations of an African malaria vector

et al. 2019

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“…In many cases the topography of the network is of principle interest, given the potential for interaction strengths to vary through time and in response to perturbation. For example, when tracing the relationships of species that may be the target for eradication measures, such as disease-vector mosquitoes (Collins et al 2019), a critical first step is an inventory of interactions in the community. Since in most cases investment in sampling is a finite resource, directing sampling towards high-likelihood interactions could more efficiently increase the overall network completeness.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Finding missing links in interaction networks

Terry

Lewis

2019

Preprint

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6Documenting which species interact within ecological communities is challenging and labour-7 intensive. As a result, many interactions remain unrecorded, potentially distorting our 8 understanding of network structure and dynamics. We test the utility of four structural models 9 and a new coverage-deficit model for predicting missing links in both simulated and empirical 1 0 bipartite networks. We find they can perform well, but that the predictive power of structural 1 1 models varies with the underlying network structure. Predictions can be improved by ensembling 1 2 multiple models. Sample-coverage estimators of the number of missed interactions are highly 1 3 correlated with the number of missed interactions, but strongly biased towards underestimating 1 4 the true number of missing links. Augmenting observed networks with most-likely missing links 1 5 improves estimates of qualitative network metrics. Tools to identify likely missing links can be 1 6 simple to implement, allowing the prioritisation of research effort and more robust assessment of 1 7 network properties.1 8

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“…[132,133,134,135,136]. The rapid progress in the laboratory and the potentials offered by these technologies are progressively shifting challenges towards the assessment of risk and ecological impact, regulation and acceptance prior field applications [137].…”

Section: Self-limiting or Sustaining Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vector-focused Approaches to Curb Malaria Transmission in the Brazilian Amazon: An Overview of Current and Future Challenges and Strategies

Rocha¹,

Katak²,

Campos-de-Oliveira³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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In Brazil, malaria transmission is mostly confined to the Amazon, where substantial progress has been achieved towards disease control in the past decade. Vector control has been historically considered a fundamental part of the main malaria control programs implemented in Brazil. However, the conventional vector-control tools have been insufficient to eliminate local vector populations due to the complexity of the Amazonian rainforest environment and ecological features of malaria vector species in the Amazon, especially Anopheles darlingi. Malaria elimination in Brazil and worldwide eradication will require a combination of conventional and new approaches that takes into account the regional specificities of vector populations and malaria transmission dynamics. Here we present an overview on both conventional and novel promising vector-focused tools to curb malaria transmission in the Brazilian Amazon. If well designed and employed, these new vector-based approaches may improve the implementation of malaria-control programs, particularly in remote or difficult-to-access areas and in regions where existing interventions have been unable to eliminate disease transmission. However, much effort still has to be put on research expanding the knowledge of neotropical malaria vectors to set the steppingstones for the development of such innovative tools.

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Effects of the removal or reduction in density of the malaria mosquito, Anopheles gambiae s.l., on interacting predators and competitors in local ecosystems

Cited by 59 publications

References 116 publications

Large-cage assessment of a transgenic sex-ratio distortion strain on populations of an African malaria vector

Large-cage assessment of a transgenic sex-ratio distortion strain on populations of an African malaria vector

Finding missing links in interaction networks

Vector-focused Approaches to Curb Malaria Transmission in the Brazilian Amazon: An Overview of Current and Future Challenges and Strategies

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