Desiccation tolerance and possible starvation trade-offs in larvicide resistant Culex and Aedes mosquitoes

Summary: Larvicides are widely used for mosquito control, but resistance development complicates efforts. We investigated the interplay between insecticide resistance and environmental stress in Aedes albopictus, Culex pipiens pipiens, and Culex pipiens molestus. Mosquitoes were selected for resista...

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Main Authors: Eleni C. Savvidou, Charalampos S. Ioannou, Lemonia Apocha, John S. Terblanche, Nikos T. Papadopoulos
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-06-01
Series:iScience
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004225007825
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author Eleni C. Savvidou
Charalampos S. Ioannou
Lemonia Apocha
John S. Terblanche
Nikos T. Papadopoulos
author_facet Eleni C. Savvidou
Charalampos S. Ioannou
Lemonia Apocha
John S. Terblanche
Nikos T. Papadopoulos
author_sort Eleni C. Savvidou
collection DOAJ
description Summary: Larvicides are widely used for mosquito control, but resistance development complicates efforts. We investigated the interplay between insecticide resistance and environmental stress in Aedes albopictus, Culex pipiens pipiens, and Culex pipiens molestus. Mosquitoes were selected for resistance to diflubenzuron and Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis, acclimated at four temperatures, and subjected to desiccation and starvation assays. Desiccation and starvation survival were affected by species, sex, and thermal acclimation, but not by larvicide resistance. Larvicide resistance affected starvation survival in Ae. albopictus, which also exhibited higher thermal plasticity under both stressors. Females outlived males across all species and conditions. These findings highlight ecological consequences of larvicide resistance, as it does not compromise stress resistance and thermal plasticity, complicating mosquito control amid climate change. Trade-offs between starvation and desiccation in Ae. albopictus suggests potential mechanistic links between these traits and larvicide mode-of-action. Species-, context- and trait-specific larvicide resistance responses complicates mosquito control efforts.
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spelling doaj-art-1930e6a1a3854fe688440a2a08a28bf32025-08-20T03:09:42ZengElsevieriScience2589-00422025-06-0128611252110.1016/j.isci.2025.112521Desiccation tolerance and possible starvation trade-offs in larvicide resistant Culex and Aedes mosquitoesEleni C. Savvidou0Charalampos S. Ioannou1Lemonia Apocha2John S. Terblanche3Nikos T. Papadopoulos4Laboratory of Entomology and Agricultural Zoology, Department of Agriculture, Crop Production and Rural Environment, University of Thessaly, Volos 38446, GreeceLaboratory of Entomology and Agricultural Zoology, Department of Agriculture, Crop Production and Rural Environment, University of Thessaly, Volos 38446, GreeceLaboratory of Entomology and Agricultural Zoology, Department of Agriculture, Crop Production and Rural Environment, University of Thessaly, Volos 38446, GreeceCentre for Invasion Biology, Department of Conservation Ecology & Entomology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7602, South AfricaLaboratory of Entomology and Agricultural Zoology, Department of Agriculture, Crop Production and Rural Environment, University of Thessaly, Volos 38446, Greece; Corresponding authorSummary: Larvicides are widely used for mosquito control, but resistance development complicates efforts. We investigated the interplay between insecticide resistance and environmental stress in Aedes albopictus, Culex pipiens pipiens, and Culex pipiens molestus. Mosquitoes were selected for resistance to diflubenzuron and Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis, acclimated at four temperatures, and subjected to desiccation and starvation assays. Desiccation and starvation survival were affected by species, sex, and thermal acclimation, but not by larvicide resistance. Larvicide resistance affected starvation survival in Ae. albopictus, which also exhibited higher thermal plasticity under both stressors. Females outlived males across all species and conditions. These findings highlight ecological consequences of larvicide resistance, as it does not compromise stress resistance and thermal plasticity, complicating mosquito control amid climate change. Trade-offs between starvation and desiccation in Ae. albopictus suggests potential mechanistic links between these traits and larvicide mode-of-action. Species-, context- and trait-specific larvicide resistance responses complicates mosquito control efforts.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004225007825Biological sciencesEntomology
spellingShingle Eleni C. Savvidou
Charalampos S. Ioannou
Lemonia Apocha
John S. Terblanche
Nikos T. Papadopoulos
Desiccation tolerance and possible starvation trade-offs in larvicide resistant Culex and Aedes mosquitoes
iScience
Biological sciences
Entomology
title Desiccation tolerance and possible starvation trade-offs in larvicide resistant Culex and Aedes mosquitoes
title_full Desiccation tolerance and possible starvation trade-offs in larvicide resistant Culex and Aedes mosquitoes
title_fullStr Desiccation tolerance and possible starvation trade-offs in larvicide resistant Culex and Aedes mosquitoes
title_full_unstemmed Desiccation tolerance and possible starvation trade-offs in larvicide resistant Culex and Aedes mosquitoes
title_short Desiccation tolerance and possible starvation trade-offs in larvicide resistant Culex and Aedes mosquitoes
title_sort desiccation tolerance and possible starvation trade offs in larvicide resistant culex and aedes mosquitoes
topic Biological sciences
Entomology
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004225007825
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