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Mating Competitiveness of Anopheles arabiensis Males as a Function of Transgenic State and Genetic Similarity to Females

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Abstract

We conducted mating competitions between wild-type and heterozygous transgenic Anopheles arabiensis males that were produced by repeated backcrosses of a transposable element expressing the β2-tubulin eGFP marker into two genetic backgrounds. These competed for genetically similar or dissimilar females in ratios of 1:1:3. We analyzed the effect of genetic similarity, transgenic state and stock on mating frequency. We observed no differences in the competitiveness of the wild and transgenic heterozygotes, no effect of genetic relatedness, nor a clear benefit of the out-crossing strategy to increase competitiveness. A decrease in the development rate of all phenotypic classes was observed among progeny of transgenic males but the rate of adult emergence of transgenic individuals was in most cases slightly faster than wild-type siblings.

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Acknowledgements

We appreciate the NIAID-funded contract N01-AI-85355 to the American Type Culture Collection and and its financial support in the operation of the MR4 and their cooperation in developing and implementing the subcontract to the CDC Foundation that makes this research possible. Special thanks to the donors of the mosquito stocks; without them these experiments would not have been possible: Maureen Coetzee (KGB), Badria Babiker El Sayed (DONGOLA), Hervé Bossin and Janis Thailayil (DONG-GFP+).

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  1. M. Q. Benedict

    Present address: International Atomic Energy Agency, NAHU, Agency’s Laboratories, Seibersdorf, A-2444, Austria

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Malaria Research and Reference Reagent Resource Center (MR4), and Atlanta Research & Education Foundation (AREF), Atlanta, GA, 30341, USA

    P. I. Howell

  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, USA

    M. Q. Benedict

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  1. P. I. Howell
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Correspondence to M. Q. Benedict.

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Howell, P.I., Benedict, M.Q. Mating Competitiveness of Anopheles arabiensis Males as a Function of Transgenic State and Genetic Similarity to Females. J Insect Behav 22, 477–491 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-009-9187-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-009-9187-y

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