Beyond nature and nurture: phenotypic plasticity in blood-feeding behavior of Anopheles gambiae s.s. when humans are not readily accessible.
To test for the effects of host accessibility on blood-feeding behavior, we assessed degrees of anthropophily of the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae at two stages of the behavioral sequence of host foraging, in a rice growing area near Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, where humans are not readily accessible because of years of generalized use of (mostly non-impregnated) bed nets. First, patterns of host selection were assessed by the identification of the blood meal origin of indoor-resting samples. Inherent host preferences were then determined by two odor-baited entry traps, set side by side in a choice arrangement, releasing either human or calf odor. The proportion of feeds taken on humans was around 40%, whereas 88% of trapped An. gambiae "chose" the human-baited trap, indicating a zoophilic pattern of host selection despite a stronger trap entry response with human odor. This paradox can be interpreted as the evolution of a plastic strategy of feeding behavior in this field population of An. gambiae because of the greater accessibility of readily available, although less-preferred, hosts.
Lefèvre
Thierry
T
Génétique et Evolution des Maladies Infectieuses, Montpellier, France. telefev@emory.edu
Gouagna
Louis-Clément
LC
Dabiré
Kounbrobr Roch
KR
Elguero
Eric
E
Fontenille
Didier
D
Renaud
François
F
Costantini
Carlo
C
Thomas
Frédéric
F
D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002050:Burkina Faso; D002417:Cattle; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005518:Food Preferences; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009812:Odorants