dc.contributor.author	Lyons, Candice L.
dc.contributor.author	Coetzee, Maureen
dc.contributor.author	Terblanche, John S.
dc.contributor.author	Chown, Steven L.
dc.date.accessioned	2013-05-07T10:00:48Z
dc.date.available	2013-05-07T10:00:48Z
dc.date.issued	2012-07
dc.date.updated	2012-11-27T20:09:17Z
dc.description	The original publication is available at http://www.malariajournal.com/content/11/1/226	en_ZA
dc.description	Publication of this article was funded by the Stellenbosch University Open Access Fund.
dc.description.abstract	Abstract Background Malaria affects large parts of the developing world and is responsible for almost 800,000 deaths annually. As climates change, concerns have arisen as to how this vector-borne disease will be impacted by changing rainfall patterns and warming temperatures. Despite the importance and controversy surrounding the impact of climate change on the potential spread of this disease, little information exists on the tolerances of several of the vector species themselves. Methods Using a ramping protocol (to assess critical thermal limits - CT) and plunge protocol (to assess lethal temperature limits - LT) information on the thermal tolerance of two of Africa’s important malaria vectors, Anopheles arabiensis and Anopheles funestus was collected. The effects of age, thermal acclimation treatment, sex and strain (laboratory versus wild adults) were investigated for CT determinations for each species. The effects of age and sex for adults and life stage (larvae, pupae, adults) were investigated for LT determinations. Results In both species, females are more tolerant to low and high temperatures than males; larvae and pupae have higher upper lethal limits than do adults. Thermal acclimation of adults has large effects in some instances but small effects in others. Younger adults tend to be more tolerant of low or high temperatures than older age groups. Long-standing laboratory colonies are sufficiently similar in thermal tolerance to field-collected animals to provide reasonable surrogates when making inferences about wild population responses. Differences between these two vectors in their thermal tolerances, especially in larvae and pupae, are plausibly a consequence of different habitat utilization. Conclusions Limited plasticity is characteristic of the adults of these vector species relative to others examined to date, suggesting limited scope for within-generation change in thermal tolerance. These findings and the greater tolerance of females to thermal extremes may have significant implications for future malaria transmission, especially in areas of current seasonal transmission and in areas on the boundaries of current vector distribution.	en_ZA
dc.description.version	Publishers' Version	en_ZA
dc.format.extent	14 p. : ill.
dc.identifier.citation	Lyons, C. L., Coetzee, M., Terblanche, J. S. & Chown, S. L. 2012. Thermal limits of wild and laboratory strains of two African malaria vector species, Anopheles arabiensis and Anopheles funestus. Malaria Journal, 11(1):226, doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-11-226 .	en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn	1475-2875 (online)
dc.identifier.other	doi:10.1186/1475-2875-11-226
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/80724
dc.language.iso	en_ZA	en_ZA
dc.language.rfc3066	en
dc.publisher	BioMed Central	en_ZA
dc.rights.holder	Candice L Lyons et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.	en_ZA
dc.subject	Malaria vector species -- Thermal biology	en_ZA
dc.subject	Malaria vector species -- Phenotypic responses	en_ZA
dc.subject	Anopheles arabiensis	en_ZA
dc.subject	Anopheles funestus	en_ZA
dc.title	Thermal limits of wild and laboratory strains of two African malaria vector species, Anopheles arabiensis and Anopheles funestus	en_ZA
dc.type	Article	en_ZA

Thermal limits of wild and laboratory strains of two African malaria vector species, Anopheles arabiensis and Anopheles funestus

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