Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29813108›Full record

ArticlePloS one2018

Cannibalism in temporary waters: Simulations and laboratory experiments revealed the role of spatial shape in the mosquito Aedes albopictus.

Valentina Mastrantonio, Graziano Crasta, Arianna Puggioli, Romeo Bellini, Sandra Urbanelli, Daniele Porretta

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
1.1field-weighted citation impact, top 20% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Valentina MastrantonioDepartment of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Graziano CrastaDepartment of Mathematics, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Arianna PuggioliAgriculture Environment Centre "G. Nicoli", Crevalcore, Italy.
Romeo BelliniAgriculture Environment Centre "G. Nicoli", Crevalcore, Italy.
Sandra UrbanelliDepartment of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Daniele PorrettaDepartment of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-0430-3183
Sapienza University of Rome · ITCentro Agricoltura Ambiente (Italy) · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cannibalism is a commonly observed phenomenon in arthropod species having relevant consequences for population dynamics and individual fitness. It is a context-dependent behaviour and an understanding of the factors affecting cannibalism rate is crucial to highlight its ecological relevance. In mosquitoes, cannibalism between larval stages has been widely documented, and the role of density, food availability and length of contact between individuals also ascertained. However, although mosquitoes can develop in temporary water habitats with very heterogeneous topologies, the role of the site shape where cannibals and victims co-occur has been instead overlooked. In this paper, we investigated this issue by using a simulation approach and laboratory cannibalism experiments between old (third- and fourth-instars) and young (first-instar) larvae of the tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus. Three virtual spaces with different shapes were simulated and the number of larval encounters was estimated in each one to assess whether the spatial shape affected the number of encounters between cannibal and victims. Then, experimental trials in containers with similar shapes to those used in the simulations were performed, and the cannibalism rate was estimated at 24 and 48h. Our results showed that the spatial shape plays a role on cannibalism interactions, affecting the number of encounters between individuals. Indeed, in the experimental trials performed, we observed the highest cannibalism rate in the container with the highest number of encounters predicted by the simulations. Interestingly, we found also that spatial shape can affect cannibalism not only by affecting the number of encounters, but also the number of encounters "favorable" for cannibalistic events. Temporary waters are inhabited by several species other than mosquitoes. Our results, showing an influence of the spatial shape on cannibalism in Ae. albopictus larvae, add a new critical factor to those affecting ecological interactions in these habitats.

Indexed as

AedesCannibalismLaboratoriesModels, TheoreticalSpatial AnalysisAnimalsEcosystemPopulation Density

Identifiers

PMID29813108
PMCPMC5973580
OpenAlexW2807417329

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.