Not Just from Blood: Mosquito Nutrient Acquisition from Nectar Sources.

Anthropophilic female mosquitoes are well known for their strong attraction to human hosts, but plant nectar is a common energy source in their diets. When sugar sources are scarce, female mosquitoes of some species can compensate by taking larger and more frequent blood meals. Male mosquitoes are exclusively dependent on plant nectar or alternative sugar sources. Plant preference is likely driven by an innate attraction that may be enhanced by experience, as mosquitoes learn to recognize available sugar rewards. Nectar-seeking involves the integration of at least three sensory systems: olfaction, vision and taste. The prevention of vector-borne illnesses, the determination of the mosquitoes' ecological role, and the design of efficient sugar-baited traps will all benefit from understanding the molecular basis of nectar-seeking. For many anthropophilic mosquito species, females benefit from nectar-feeding as they become reproductively mature yet they often skip a nectar meal when given access to a human host during this period. Male mosquito survival and reproductive success requires access to sugar sources. Aedes aegypti and Anopheles gambiae females can survive without sugar meals by increasing their blood consumption. Unlike vertebrate host preference, nectar choices are flexible and often unpredictable. Nonetheless, mosquitoes have an innate preference for certain combinations of volatiles typically rich in terpenes and aromatic aldehydes that are associated with plants. Mosquitoes identify sugar sources using visual, olfactory, and gustatory cues; several plant-related volatiles are detected by the odorant receptors (ORs) and their obligate co-receptor orco. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]