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Weiss L, McBride CS. Mosquitoes as a model for understanding the neural basis of natural behaviors. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2024; 87:102897. [PMID: 39002351 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2024.102897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 06/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/15/2024]
Abstract
Mosquito behaviors have been the subject of extensive research for over a century due to their role in the spread of human disease. However, these behaviors are also beginning to be appreciated as excellent models for neurobiological research in their own right. Many of the same behaviors and sensory abilities that help mosquitoes survive and reproduce alongside humans represent striking examples of generalizable phenomena of longstanding neurobiological interest. In this review, we highlight four prominent examples that promise new insight into (1) precise circadian tuning of sensory systems, (2) processing of complex natural odors, (3) multisensory integration, and (4) modulation of behavior by internal states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Weiss
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Carolyn S McBride
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
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Park D, Bowles J, Norrid K, Dobson FS, Abebe A, Narayanan HV, Prakash M, Blagburn B, Starkey L, Zohdy S. Effect of age on wingbeat frequency of Aedes aegypti and potential application for age estimation of mosquitoes. MEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY 2023; 37:491-498. [PMID: 36872598 DOI: 10.1111/mve.12647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
To combat mosquito-borne diseases, a variety of vector control tools have been implemented. Estimating age structure in populations of vector species is important for understanding transmission potential. Age-grading techniques have been used as critical methods for evaluating the efficacy of vector control tools. However, methods like mark-release-recapture and ovarian dissection are laborious and require a high level of training. For decades, scientists have discussed the wide array of acoustic signatures of different mosquito species. These distinguishable wingbeat signatures with spatiotemporal classification allow mosquitoes of the same species to locate one another for mating. In recent years, the use of sensitive acoustic devices like mobile phones have proved effective. Wingbeat signatures can be used to identify mosquito species without the challenge of intensive field collections and morphological and molecular identifications. In this study, laboratory Aedes aegypti (L.) female and male wingbeats were recorded using mobile phones to determine whether sex and age differences with chronological time, and across different physiological stages, can be detected. Our results indicate significantly different wingbeat signatures between male and female Ae. aegypti, and a change of wingbeat frequencies with age and reproduction stage in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doyeon Park
- College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
| | - Joy Bowles
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
| | - Kate Norrid
- College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
| | - F Stephen Dobson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
| | - Ash Abebe
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
| | - Haripriya Vaidehi Narayanan
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Manu Prakash
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Byron Blagburn
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
| | - Lindsay Starkey
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
| | - Sarah Zohdy
- College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
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League GP, Alfonso-Parra C, Pantoja-Sánchez H, Harrington LC. Acoustic-Related Mating Behavior in Tethered and Free-Flying Mosquitoes. Cold Spring Harb Protoc 2022; 2022:Pdb.top107667. [PMID: 35960619 DOI: 10.1101/pdb.top107667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Acoustics play an essential role in mosquito communication, particularly during courtship and mating. Mosquito mating occurs in flight and is coordinated by the perception of wingbeat tones. Flight tone frequencies have been shown to mediate sex recognition in Aedes, Anopheles, Culex, and Toxorhynchites genera and are thus a conserved feature of mating across the mosquito family (Culicidae). Upon recognizing a flying female, males respond phonotactically by lunging toward the female and initiating a precopulatory courtship flight interaction. During this interaction, males and females often harmonize their flight tones in a behavior known as harmonic convergence, and male acoustics display rapid frequency modulation. These acoustic phenomena have been characterized both in tethered and free-flying mosquitoes using similar audio recording and analysis methods. Further, the manipulation of mosquito acoustic-related mating behavior shows great promise as a tool for reproductive control strategies. In this brief methodological introduction, we provide an overview of the biological and technical concepts necessary for understanding the recording and analysis of mosquito mating acoustics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garrett P League
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - Catalina Alfonso-Parra
- Instituto Colombiano de Medicina Tropical, Universidad CES, Sabaneta, Antioquia, Colombia, 055413
- Max Planck Tandem Group in Mosquito Reproductive Biology
| | - Hoover Pantoja-Sánchez
- Departamento de Ingeniería Electrónica, SISTEMIC
- Programa de Estudio y Control de Enfermedades Tropicales, PECET, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia, 050010
| | - Laura C Harrington
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
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Pantoja-Sánchez H, League GP, Harrington LC, Alfonso-Parra C. Recording and Analysis of Mosquito Acoustic-Related Mating Behavior. Cold Spring Harb Protoc 2022; 2022:Pdb.prot107989. [PMID: 35960617 DOI: 10.1101/pdb.prot107989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
In mosquitoes, courtship and mating sounds are produced by the movement of the wings during flight. These sounds, usually referred to as flight tones, have been studied using tethered and free-flying individuals. Here, we describe a general approach for recording and analyzing mosquito acoustic-related mating behaviors that can be broadly adapted to a variety of experimental designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hoover Pantoja-Sánchez
- Departamento de Ingeniería Electrónica, SISTEMIC
- Programa de Estudio y Control de Enfermedades Tropicales, PECET, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia, 050010
| | - Garrett P League
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - Laura C Harrington
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - Catalina Alfonso-Parra
- Instituto Colombiano de Medicina Tropical, Universidad CES, Sabaneta, Antioquia, Colombia, 055413
- Max Planck Tandem Group in Mosquito Reproductive Biology, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia, 050010
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