Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Malaria

Malaria

Malaria pathogenesis in humans reflects a delicate interplay between parasite biology and host response. Clinical illness reflects a host’s immune response to the parasite’s asexual replication cycle, which is often asymptomatic in individuals with partial immunity. From the parasite's perspective, transmission between mosquito and human with minimal host pathology is evolutionarily advantageous. Among the six Plasmodium species infecting humans, P. falciparum and P. vivax dominate in global...

Symbiosis

Symbiosis

Symbiotic relationships are long-term, close interactions between individuals of different species that affect the distribution and abundance of those species. When a relationship is beneficial to both species, this is called mutualism. When the relationship is beneficial to one species but neither beneficial nor harmful to the other species, this is called commensalism. When one organism is harmed to benefit another, the relationship is known as parasitism. These types of relationships often...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Deconstructing empirical fitness seascapes across scales of granularity.

G3 (Bethesda, Md.)·2026

Same author

When evolvability meets constraint: reflections on empirical fitness landscapes after Weinreich et al. (2006).

Genetics·2026

Same author

Energetic constraints shape the diversity of feasible ecological networks.

PLoS computational biology·2026

Same author

Maynard Smith's analogy, realized: Common ancestry constrains evolutionary percolation through protein space.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

Our cosmos, ourselves<b>The Edge of Space-Time</b> <i>Chanda Prescod-Weinstein</i> Pantheon, 2026. 368 pp.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026

Same author

Deconstructing empirical fitness seascapes across scales of granularity.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Building a Better Mosquito: Identifying the Genes Enabling Malaria and Dengue Fever Resistance in A. gambiae and A. aegypti Mosquitoes

Building a Better Mosquito: Identifying the Genes Enabling Malaria and Dengue Fever Resistance in A. gambiae and A. aegypti Mosquitoes

Published on: July 4, 2007

Anopheles gambiae exploits the treehole ecosystem in western Kenya: a new urban malaria risk?

Francois X Omlin¹, John C Carlson, C Brandon Ogbunugafor

¹International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Kisii, Kenya. fomlin@icipe.org

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

|January 31, 2008

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Treeholes in Kenya are a new breeding ground for malaria mosquitoes, Anopheles gambiae. This discovery highlights an overlooked habitat for these disease vectors, requiring further investigation.

More Related Videos

Standard Membrane Feeding Assay for the Detection of Plasmodium falciparum Infection in Anopheles Mosquito Vectors

Standard Membrane Feeding Assay for the Detection of Plasmodium falciparum Infection in Anopheles Mosquito Vectors

Published on: May 12, 2022

Ookluc: A Plasmodium berghei Line for Identifying Transmission-blocking Compounds

Ookluc: A Plasmodium berghei Line for Identifying Transmission-blocking Compounds

Published on: July 11, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Building a Better Mosquito: Identifying the Genes Enabling Malaria and Dengue Fever Resistance in A. gambiae and A. aegypti Mosquitoes

Building a Better Mosquito: Identifying the Genes Enabling Malaria and Dengue Fever Resistance in A. gambiae and A. aegypti Mosquitoes

Published on: July 4, 2007

Standard Membrane Feeding Assay for the Detection of Plasmodium falciparum Infection in Anopheles Mosquito Vectors

Standard Membrane Feeding Assay for the Detection of Plasmodium falciparum Infection in Anopheles Mosquito Vectors

Published on: May 12, 2022

Ookluc: A Plasmodium berghei Line for Identifying Transmission-blocking Compounds

Ookluc: A Plasmodium berghei Line for Identifying Transmission-blocking Compounds

Published on: July 11, 2025

Area of Science:

Entomology
Medical Entomology
Ecology

Background:

Treeholes are largely unstudied aquatic habitats.
Anopheles gambiae is a primary vector of malaria in Africa.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate treeholes as potential breeding sites for Anopheles immature stages in western Kenya.
To identify mosquito species breeding in treeholes and assess habitat characteristics influencing larval presence.

Main Methods:

Larval sampling in treeholes across six sites in western Kenya.
Longitudinal monitoring of Anopheles presence in treeholes of Flamboyant trees.
Dry season egg viability assessment and oviposition preference experiments.

Main Results:

Anopheles gambiae larvae were identified in 19 treehole-associated plant species, including 13 exotic species.
Repeated An. gambiae s.s. presence was confirmed in water-filled treeholes, with production correlating with habitat height.
Dry treeholes yielded viable Anopheles eggs, and An. gambiae s.s. showed a preference for ovipositing in treehole water.

Conclusions:

Treeholes represent a previously unrecognized and significant habitat for malaria vectors in Kenya.
The findings necessitate further research into the ecological role and public health implications of treehole breeding by Anopheles mosquitoes.