Program in Public Health, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
Parasit Vectors. 2013 Dec 12;6:353. doi: 10.1186/1756-3305-6-353.
In sub-Saharan Africa, malaria, transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito, remains one of the foremost public health concerns. Anopheles gambiae, the primary malaria vector in sub-Saharan Africa, is typically associated with ephemeral, sunlit habitats; however, An. gambiae larvae often share these habitats with other anophelines along with other disease-transmitting and benign mosquito species. Resource limitations within habitats can constrain larval density and development, and this drives competitive interactions among and between species.
We used naturally occurring stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen to identify resource partitioning among co-occurring larval species in microcosms and natural habitats in western Kenya. We used two and three source mixing models to estimate resource utilization (i.e. bacteria, algae, organic matter) by larvae.
Laboratory experiments revealed larval δ13C and δ15N composition to reflect the food sources they were reared on. Resource partitioning was demonstrated between An. gambiae and Culex quinquefasciatus larvae sharing the same microcosms. Differences in larval δ13C and δ15N content was also evident in natural habitats, and Anopheles species were consistently more enriched in δ13C when compared to culicine larvae.
These observations demonstrate inter-specific resource partitioning between Cx. quinquefasciatus and An. gambiae larvae in natural habitats in western Kenya. This information may be translated into opportunities for targeted larval control efforts by limiting specific larval food resources, or through bio-control utilizing competitors at the same trophic level.
在撒哈拉以南非洲，由疟蚊传播的疟疾仍然是首要的公共卫生关注点之一。在撒哈拉以南非洲，冈比亚按蚊是主要的疟疾传播媒介，通常与短暂的、阳光充足的栖息地有关；然而，冈比亚按蚊幼虫经常与其他按蚊以及其他传播疾病和良性的蚊子物种共享这些栖息地。栖息地内的资源限制会限制幼虫的密度和发育，这会促使物种之间和种内产生竞争相互作用。
我们使用自然存在的碳和氮稳定同位素比率来识别肯尼亚西部微生境和自然栖息地中共同出现的幼虫物种之间的资源分配。我们使用两个和三个源混合模型来估计幼虫的资源利用（即细菌、藻类、有机物）。
实验室实验表明，幼虫的δ13C和δ15N组成反映了它们所饲养的食物来源。在共享相同微生境的冈比亚按蚊和库蚊幼虫之间，表现出资源分配。在自然栖息地中也明显存在幼虫δ13C 和 δ15N 含量的差异，与库蚊幼虫相比，按蚊物种的 δ13C 始终更为丰富。
这些观察结果表明，在肯尼亚西部的自然栖息地中，库蚊和冈比亚按蚊幼虫之间存在种间资源分配。这些信息可以转化为有针对性的幼虫控制工作的机会，通过限制特定的幼虫食物资源，或通过利用同一营养级别的竞争者进行生物控制。
