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Published on: May 7, 2021
Anticipating evolutionary responses of mosquito mating systems to population suppression with mass-reared males
Lauren J Cator1, Michael B Bonsall2
1Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, Ascot SL57PY, UK.
Abstract:
Strategies that rely on the mass release of males to suppress mosquito populations will exert selective pressure on natural mating systems. Here, we investigate how mass releases might affect the mating behaviors of wild target populations. We highlight gaps in our understanding of both variation in these aspects of mosquito behavior and the evolutionary forces that maintain variation within and between populations. We provide a mathematical framework for integrating mosquito mating ecology into models of population suppression. Given that these strategies are being increasingly deployed, anticipating and managing evolutionary responses of target population behavior should be a priority for research.

