Temperature and photoperiod effects on dormancy status and life cycle parameters in Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti from subtropical Argentina

Abstract

Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) distribution is bounded to a subtropical area in Argentina, while Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) covers both temperate and subtropical regions. We assessed thermal and photoperiod conditions on dormancy status, development time and mortality for these species from subtropical Argentina. Short days (8 light : 16 dark) significantly increased larval development time for both species, an effect previously linked to diapause incidence. Aedes albopictus showed higher mortality than Ae. aegypti at 16 °C under long day treatments (16 light : 8 dark), which could indicate a lower tolerance to a sudden temperature decrease during the summer season. Aedes albopictus showed a slightly higher percentage of dormant eggs from females exposed to a short day, relative to previous research in Brazilian populations. Since we employed more hours of darkness, this could suggest a relationship between day‐length and dormancy intensity. Interestingly, local Ae. aegypti presented dormancy similar to Ae. albopictus, in accordance with temperate populations. The minimum dormancy in Ae. albopictus would not be sufficient to extend its bounded distribution. We believe that these findings represent a novel contribution to current knowledge about the ecophysiology of Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti, two species with great epidemiological relevance in this subtropical region.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of temperature on the development and survival of the Aedes mosquito

“…More specifically, based on the analysis, the studies by Sivan et al ( 63 ), Sivan et al ( 62 ), Phanitchat et al ( 55 ), Yang et al ( 67 ), and De Majo et al ( 38 ) showed no significant higher risk difference between the maximum and minimum. On the other hand, studies by Bagny Beilhe et al ( 31 ), Byttebier et al ( 33 ), Campos et al ( 34 ), De Majo et al ( 37 ), Garzón et al ( 42 ), and Muttis et al ( 53 ) showed that there was no significant lower risk difference between the maximum and minimum temperatures respectively.…”

Mapeamento de mosquitos Aedes spp. e detecção do vírus Dengue em zona urbana do município de Picos, Piauí

“…Com o aumento da pluviosidade e a diminuição na temperatura, a proliferação de A. aegypti é favorecida pelo aumento da disponibilidade de criadouros propícios para oviposição da fêmea . Nos períodos de aumento de temperatura e escassez de chuvas, o desenvolvimento dos vetores fica comprometido, é quando os ovos podem entram em diapausa à espera de períodos com ocorrência de chuvas em que as larvas eclodem (Garzón et al, 2021).…”

Genomic profiling of climate adaptation in Aedes aegypti along an altitudinal gradient in Nepal indicates non-gradual expansion of the disease vector

“…Thus, the cold tolerance and hence the fitness advantage of the high altitude population in Nepal (details on the cold tolerance potential of the Nepalese populations: (42)) may further increase (27), as also indicated by the establishment of a more cold resistant population of Ae. aegypti in a temperate region in Argentina (Buenos Aires; (18,72,73)). Such a phenotype would increase the introduction risk of Ae.…”

“…For Ae. aegypti it has already been documented that populations can invade novel habitats by following their climate niches as a consequence of global warming (11, 18), moreover their expansion to new regions in the future is likely (19, 20). Further expansion to cooler ecoregions such as Europe will additionally require the adaptation to cooler temperatures (21, 22).…”