Abstract
Mosquito borne diseases (e.g., dengue fever, Zika fever, chikungunya fever) are a recurring problem worldwide. Using the natural predators of mosquitoes, such as odonates (dragonflies and damselflies), provides an alternative, more sustainable approach towards vector control. We assessed the biological control potential of the larvae of three common urban odonates (Crocothemis servilia, Ischnura senegalensis, Orthetrum sabina) using laboratory-based functional response and field-based mesocosm experiments. Functional response experiments using fourth instar Aedes albopictus mosquito larvae as prey revealed Type II functional responses in all three odonate species, highlighting their predatory efficiencies at low prey densities and demonstrating that urban odonates can consume substantial numbers of mosquito larvae (up to 44 per day) under experimental conditions. Complementary field-based experiments, however, showed little impact of odonate larvae predation on the overall composition of naturally colonizing aquatic macroinvertebrate communities, but revealed substantial size-selective predation by odonate larvae on mosquito larvae. Our results provide the first assessment of the predation efficiencies of urban odonate larvae, and highlight their potential as biological control agents of mosquitoes and other aquatic insect pests in highly modified urban landscapes.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 104702 |
| Journal | Biological Control |
| Volume | 161 |
| Early online date | 5 Jul 2021 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 2021 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We thank Denise Tan and Agnes Koou (Environmental Health Institute, National Environmental Agency, Singapore) who kindly provided mosquito eggs for the laboratory experiments. We are grateful to Rebecca Loh, Charles Tan, Shivaram Rasu, Choo Ruisheng, Clarence Sim and Nikita Choudhary for assistance in the experiments; and Darren Yeo (Meier Lab) and Rudolf Meier for help and support to identify the odonate larvae. Permission to collect odonates was granted by the National Parks Board, Singapore (NParks) (Permit No. NP/RP19-049c), while permits to conduct mosquito-related research were obtained from the National Environmental Agency, Singapore (Permit No. NEA/PH/CLB/19-00023 and NEA/PH/CLB/19-00024). Funding support from the Garden City Fund c/o National Parks Board (National University of Singapore Grant No. R-154-000-B43-490) is gratefully acknowledged. The third author thanks NParks’ Dr Adrian Loo, Mr Kenneth Er, Dr Leong Chee Chiew and Mr Tan Chong Lee for supporting the dragonfly project.
Funding Information:
We thank Denise Tan and Agnes Koou (Environmental Health Institute, National Environmental Agency, Singapore) who kindly provided mosquito eggs for the laboratory experiments. We are grateful to Rebecca Loh, Charles Tan, Shivaram Rasu, Choo Ruisheng, Clarence Sim and Nikita Choudhary for assistance in the experiments; and Darren Yeo (Meier Lab) and Rudolf Meier for help and support to identify the odonate larvae. Permission to collect odonates was granted by the National Parks Board, Singapore (NParks) (Permit No. NP/RP19-049c), while permits to conduct mosquito-related research were obtained from the National Environmental Agency, Singapore (Permit No. NEA/PH/CLB/19-00023 and NEA/PH/CLB/19-00024). Funding support from the Garden City Fund c/o National Parks Board (National University of Singapore Grant No. R-154-000-B43-490) is gratefully acknowledged. The third author thanks NParks’ Dr Adrian Loo, Mr Kenneth Er, Dr Leong Chee Chiew and Mr Tan Chong Lee for supporting the dragonfly project.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier Inc.
Keywords
- Aedes albopictus
- Crocothemis servilia
- Insect pests
- Ischnura senegalensis
- Orthetrum sabina
- Vector control
