The effect of dieldrin exposure on Anopheles gambiae (Diptera: Culicidae): fitness, fecundity and fertility.
Year: 2013
Type: dissertation
Abstract: The effect of dieldrin exposure on fecundity, fertility and longevity was investigated in \ntwo populations of the African malaria vector Anopheles gambiae s.s: A wild \nrepresentative strain and a laboratory strain were used. Experimental procedures were \ndesigned and optimised to obtain the maximum amount of data for individual females. In \nsome instances, novel experiments had to be designed to answer specific research \nquestions as no similar studies were available in the literature. A compilation of reference \nphotographs depicting the different stages of oocyte growth in An. gambiae females was \nproduced to assist in the identification of growth phases. Fecundity was shown to be \nreduced in dieldrin exposed females with close correlation to egg retention. Oocyte \ndevelopmental rate was reduced in both populations of mosquitoes after exposure to \ndieldrin. Longevity was observed to decrease in the wild strain and remained unchanged \nin the laboratory strain when compared to the unexposed controls. Fertility was generally \ndecreased, however dieldrin exposure appeared to have no negative affect on mating or \nspermatozoan viability before or after mating in male testes or female spermathecae \nrespectively. In summary this study showed that exposure to dieldrin had subtle effects on \nthe biology of these mosquitoes, but would probably not have a detrimental effect on a \npopulation as a whole.
Author: Ryan Anthony Ingram Norton
Language: English
Topic: Malaria Research and Control
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: National Research Foundation
OpenAlex ID: W2255949804