Evidence of skip oviposition in Phlebotomus papatasi sand flies
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Lexua Grace McLaughlin (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
- Advisor
- Gideon Wasserberg
Abstract: Many environments are either spatially or temporally stochastic, meaning organisms have had to develop evolutionary progeny risk-spreading strategies to deal with such uncertainty. One such evolutionary strategy is skip oviposition (laying eggs in more than one site) strategies, advantageous life-history strategies where individuals are not putting all eggs in one basket. This study's broader goal was to investigate the existence of skip oviposition in Phlebotomus papatasi female sand flies. My specific goals were: (Aim 1) study the effect of the number of oviposition sites on skip oviposition behavior, (Aim 2) study the effect of resource variability on skip oviposition behavior, (Aim 3) study the effect of spatial scale on skip oviposition behavior, and (Aim 4) study the effect of conspecific females on oviposition behavior. The general hypothesis is that gravid Phlebotomus papatasi may employ skip oviposition due to the ephemeral nature of oviposition sites. However, the existence of skip oviposition may vary based on the heterogeneity of oviposition sites inside rodent burrows, the spatial distance between sites, and the female sand fly population around each site. A series of bioassays were conducted using solitary gravid females exposed to varying numbers of oviposition sites and varying quality sites within small (container) and medium (free-flight cage) scales. At the medium scale, ten gravid females were exposed to a varying number of oviposition sites of equal quality. I found that skip oviposition was common at the small container scale (jar) but less so at the free-flight cage scale. Specifically, with respect to Aim 1, I found no significant difference in eggs laid between available sites, and there was a fixed egg clutch size. In respect to Aim 2, I found that female sandflies titrated eggs’ distribution in a dose-dependent manner, showing a positive relation between eggs laid in sites and increasing habitat quality. In respect to Aim 3, I found that females showed the same patterns as seen on the smaller scale but at a reduced rate. In respect to Aim 4, I found that females were stimulated to lay more eggs when in other females' presence at the medium scale. The next crucial step in this experimental set-up is to evaluate if the same oviposition patterns happen within a natural environment and not just within a laboratory.
Evidence of skip oviposition in Phlebotomus papatasi sand flies
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Created on 12/1/2020
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Thesis
- Language: English
- Date: 2020
- Keywords
- Disease ecology, Zoonotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, Life history strategy, Sand Flies, Skip Oviposition, Vector
- Subjects
- Phlebotomus papatasi $x Eggs
- Phlebotomus papatasi $x Behavior