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. 2011 Aug;85(2):265-70.
doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.2011.10-0677.

Competitive reduction by satyrization? Evidence for interspecific mating in nature and asymmetric reproductive competition between invasive mosquito vectors

Frederic Tripet  1 , L Philip Lounibos, Dannielle Robbins, Jenny Moran, Naoya Nishimura, Erik M Blosser
Affiliations

Competitive reduction by satyrization? Evidence for interspecific mating in nature and asymmetric reproductive competition between invasive mosquito vectors

Frederic Tripet et al. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2011 Aug.

Abstract

Abstract. Upon mating, male mosquitoes transfer accessory gland proteins (Acps) that induce refractoriness to further mating in females. This can also occur because of cross-insemination by males of related species, a process known as mating interference (satyrization). This mechanism could explain the competitive displacement of resident Aedes aegypti by the invasive Aedes albopictus where they co-occur. We tested this hypothesis in mosquito populations in Florida. A new polymerase chain reaction species diagnostic applied to sperm dissected from 304 field-collected females revealed bidirectional cross-mating in five (1.6%) individuals. Cross-injections of females with Acps showed that Ae. albopictus males induced monogamy in heterospecific females but not Ae. aegypti males. Despite its low frequency in the areas under study, the first evidence of cross-mating in nature and the asymmetric effect of Acps on mating suggest that satyrization may have initially contributed to the observed competitive reduction of Ae. aegypti by invasive Ae. albopictus in many areas.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Test of the sensitivity of the species-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay (all PCR conducted with 1 μL of DNA). Lanes 1 and 2 contain DNA from Aedes aegypti alone and lanes 3 and 4 from albopictus alone, lanes 5 and 6 contain DNA from Aedes aegypti and albopictus in equal amounts, lanes 7–10 contain DNA from Ae. albopictus and aegypti in 1/10 and 1/100 (2 lanes each) and lanes 11–14 contain DNA from Ae. aegypti and albopictus in the same ratios.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Percentage (±95% confidence intervals [CI]) of Aedes aegypti (grey bars) and Aedes albopictus (white bars) females injected with male accessory gland (MAG) from conspecific or heterospecific males that subsequently mated when exposed to conspecific males. Sample sizes are indicated.
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