Mosquito floral visitation and pollination

Danica M Shannon; Nalany Richardson; Chloé Lahondère; Daniel Peach

doi:10.1016/j.cois.2024.101230

Mosquito floral visitation and pollination

Curr Opin Insect Sci. 2024 Oct:65:101230. doi: 10.1016/j.cois.2024.101230. Epub 2024 Jul 4.

Authors

Danica M Shannon¹, Nalany Richardson¹, Chloé Lahondère², Daniel Peach³

Affiliations

¹ Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC 29802, USA; Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
² Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; The Global Change Center, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; The Fralin Life Science Institute Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; Center of Emerging, Zoonotic and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.
³ Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC 29802, USA; Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; Precision One Health Initiative, University of Georgia, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 38971524
DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2024.101230

Abstract

We often consider mosquitoes through an 'anthropocentric lens' that disregards their interactions with nonhuman and nonpathogenic organisms, even though these interactions can be harnessed for mosquito control. Mosquitoes have been recognized as floral visitors, and pollinators, for more than a century. However, we know relatively little about mosquito-plant interactions, excepting some nutrition and chemical ecology-related topics, compared with mosquito-host interactions, and frequently use flawed methodology when investigating them. Recent work demonstrates mosquitoes use multimodal sensory cues to locate flowers, including ultraviolet visual cues, and we may underestimate mosquito pollination. This review focuses on current knowledge of how mosquitoes locate flowers, floral visitation assay methodology, mosquito pollination, and implications for technologies such as sterile male mosquito release through genetic control programs or Wolbachia infection.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Cues
Culicidae* / physiology
Flowers* / physiology
Pollination*