Enhancement of Development of Larval Anopheles Arabiensis by Proximity to Flowering Maize (Zea Mays) in Turbid Water and When Crowded

Abstract

To determine whether proximity to flowering maize enhances the development of larval anopheline mosquitoes breeding in turbid water and when crowded, we evaluated the development of larval Anopheles arabiensis under various conditions of turbidity, larval density, and proximity to pollen-shedding maize in simulated breeding puddles in a malaria-endemic site. In naturally formed puddles, water turbidity, as well as larval density, increased as the rainy season progressed. In sites remote from flowering maize, more pupae developed and the resulting adults were larger in relatively clear water than in turbid water, and larval crowding inhibited development. In close proximity to flowering maize, however, larval development was little affected by water turbidity and larval crowding. Larvae of this member of the African An. gambiae complex of mosquitoes develop readily in turbid water and when crowded, provided that their breeding sites are located where maize pollen is abundant.

Climate Change and Highland Malaria: Fresh Air for a Hot Debate

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Increasing Food Production in Africa by Boosting the Productivity of Understudied Crops

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The effect of water turbidity on the near-surface water temperature of larval habitats of the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae

“…Predation is often considered to be an important factor explaining the high mortality rates that are observed in natural breeding sites (Service 1973(Service , 1977Lyimo 1993;Mwangangi et al 2006). Third, particles that contribute to turbidity may also directly interfere with larval feeding and, hence, slow larval growth and decrease larval survival, as is suggested by Ye-Ebiyo et al (2003).…”