Impacts of Dietary Nutritional Composition on Larval Development and Adult Body Composition in the Yellow Fever Mosquito (Aedes aegypti)

Abstract

Background: the mosquito Aedes aegypti (Ae. aegypti) is an important vector of arboviruses, including Zika, Dengue, and Chikungunya. The dietary requirements of larval Ae. aegypti are not well understood and likely impact developmental and physiological parameters knowledge of which could be important for vector control. This study examines the effects nutrition has on growth and development of larval Ae. aegypti of laboratory-reared Rockefeller strain mosquitoes. Methods: mosquito larvae were split into five feeding groups with diets providing different ratios of protein and carbohydrates. Each group received autolyzed Brewer’s yeast (AY - high-protein), and/or rice flour (RF—high-carbohydrate). The groups were monitored to record larval developmental times, adult sizes and nutritional stores. Results: the 100% AY group failed to pupate, suggesting the AY alone is either lacking in critical nutrients or is toxic at higher concentrations. The 100% RF group resulted in the smallest adults that took the longest time to reach pupation. Of the remaining groups, the 25% AY/75% RF (Med–low) diet yielded adult mosquitoes with highest average weight, wing length, and lipid stores relative to the other diets. Conclusions: the dietary requirements for development, body size, and nutrient stores of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes appear to be dependent on a relatively low but essential proportion of dietary protein to carbohydrates to achieve optimal developmental outcomes.

What You Eat Matters: Nutrient Inputs Alter the Metabolism and Neuropeptide Expression in Egyptian Cotton Leaf Worm, Spodoptera littoralis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

“…Similar to our results on HSD, increased body weight has been reported in larvae and pupa of the predator Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) ( Li et al, 2020 ), adult Drosophila ( Morris et al, 2012 ; Rovenko et al, 2015a ), and the mosquito Ae. aegypti ( van Schoor et al, 2020 ). In contrast, weight or body size decrease has been reported in Drosophila and Ae.…”

“…In contrast, weight or body size decrease has been reported in Drosophila and Ae. aegypti larvae or adults exposed to HSD ( Musselman et al, 2011 , 2019 ; Pasco and Léopold, 2012 ; van Schoor et al, 2020 ). On the other hand, CRD led to lower weights in all stages in comparison to the control here.…”

“…On the other hand, HSDs have been reported to accelerate larval development in Drosophila ( Tatum and Beadle, 1939 ), H. axyridis ( Li et al, 2020 ), and Ae . aegypti ( van Schoor et al, 2020 ) while developmental delays in response to HSD with excessive levels of carbohydrates have been reported ( Rovenko et al, 2015a , b ; van Schoor et al, 2020 ). Relatively recent studies on Drosophila found that HSD reduces the sensitivity of the brain to sweet flavors, leading to over-eating and weight gain ( May et al, 2019 , 2020 ).…”

Microbial composition in larval water enhances Aedes aegypti development but reduces transmissibility of Zika virus

“…Furthermore, additional life history traits like adult body size are influenced by larval water conditions (16, 50), implicating a physiological modification that may indirectly result from microbial exposures of larvae. Moreover, gut microbes play a nutritional role in mosquito symbiosis (44, 74), and larval nutrition impacts mosquito size and development (77), although the role of size in vector competence of Ae. aegypti and DENV and Culex spp .…”

The effects of high-monosaccharide diets on development and biochemical composition of white-eyed mutant strain of house cricket (Acheta domesticus)

“…This allows us to hypothesise that insects have fixed physiological proportions of major biomolecules (proteins, fats, sugars) obtained due to long-term consumption of a specific diet. It can be assumed that changes in the quantity or quality of the diet will lead to changes in the proportions of biomolecules 59 . This assumption was also made in the present case, and it was chosen to investigate how HMD would affect the consumption and biochemical composition of crickets.…”