Data from: The evolution of reproduction without blood feeding in an invasive vector mosquito Aedes albopictus
Data files
Jul 15, 2026 version files 188.39 KB
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larval_devtime_Fig3B.xlsx
17.22 KB
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larval_qRT_rawdata_for_Dryad.xlsx
32.49 KB
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Ovary_maturation_Fig3A.xlsx
26.92 KB
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README.md
7.15 KB
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Winglength_data_Fig3C.xlsx
86 KB
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winglength_fecundity_Fig3D.xlsx
18.60 KB
Abstract
Mosquitoes transmit a diverse range of deadly pathogens, including dengue and Plasmodium spp., when they consume the blood of vertebrate hosts in order to nutritionally provision their eggs. However, mosquito species from multiple genera have independently evolved the ability to produce eggs without blood. The molecular and physiological processes underlying the evolution of blood-independent reproduction are largely unresolved, in part because the two most well-studied models of mosquito reproductive physiology and genetics are obligate blood feeders. Herein, we integrate life-history, genomics, and gene expression to identify physiological processes and candidate genes associated with the evolution of blood-independent reproduction in a non-model vector mosquito, Aedes albopictus.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.rbnzs7ht7
Description of the data and file structure
The files in this repository include data from two sets of experiments described in a manuscript entitled "The evolution of reproduction without blood feeding in an invasive vector mosquito Aedes albopictus" published in BMC Biology. The doi for the article is: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-026-02670-z.
The two datasets sets are: A) the life-history data presented in Figures 3A-3D, and B) the larval qRT-PCR data presented in Figure 4A-4H.
All data are in Excel format (.xlsx) and include both metadata tab describing the specific variables in the dataset.
Files and variables
DATASET A: LARVAL LIFE HISTORY: The label of each excel file corresponds to the relevant panel of Figure 3 in the above-referenced manuscript. Each file contains a metadata key.
File: larval_devtime_Fig3B.xlsx
Description: Larval development time of AUTO and NON-AUTO males and females. These data are the basis of the conclusion that AUTO female larvae take longer to develop than NON-AUTO female larvae.
Variables:
- Date_hatched: date eggs were hatched
- Population: Population of larva (AUTO, NON-AUTO)
- Plate:Numberical label of 24-well plate larva was reared in
- Well:Label of specific well within 24-well plate that larva was reared in
- Date_pupae_collected: date on which larvae reached pupal stage and sex was determined
- Sex: Sex of larva (male, female)
- day_pup: # of days to reach pupation from hatch date
File: Ovary_maturation_Fig3A.xlsx
Description: Ovary maturation of non-blood fed AUTO and NON-AUTO females. These data are the basis of the conclusion that Without access to blood, a higher proportion of AUTO females than NON-AUTO females produce at least one mature follicle (stage IV,V)
Variables:
- Number: unique number identifier of females that were dissected
- Population: either NON-AUTO (for the anautogenous control line) or AUTO (for the line that was selected to produce autogenous eggs)
- Tube: the number on the eppendorf tube. Females collected from the same cohort cage on the same day were put in the same tube.
- Cohort: a cohort includes all the females in a population that eclosed on the same day. They were kept in the same cage, but individuals from the same cohort were often collected on different days to get different ages.
- Age: the number of days after adult eclosion
- Individual: this number is unique for the group of females in each tube
- Follicle_length_1: the length of 1 of 5 of the most developed follicles in mm
- Follicle_length_2: the length of 1 of 5 of the most developed follicles in mm
- Follicle_length_3: the length of 1 of 5 of the most developed follicles in mm
- Follicle_length_4: the length of 1 of 5 of the most developed follicles in mm
- Follicle_length_5: the length of 1 of 5 of the most developed follicles in mm
- Follicle_length_average (mm): the average of the five measured follicles (in mm)
- Mature_follicles: number of follicles deemed mature (based on being fully filled in and elongated)
File: Winglength_data_Fig3C.xlsx
Description: Wing length (proxy for body size) of AUTO and NON-AUTO males and females. These data are the basis of the conclusion that AUTO females achieve a larger adult size (indicated by wing length) than NON-AUTO females.
Variables:
- Number: unique number for each mosquito
- Population: NON-AUTO= Anautogenous Population, AUTO = Autogenous Population
- Cage: The cage number the mosquito specimen was obtained from
- Date Frozen: The date the specimen was frozen in a microtube
- Date Dissected: The date the specimen was dissected and had its follicles examined/counted and its wings measured
- Sex: If the mosquito specimen was a male or female
- Wing_length (mm) :The length of the wing of that specimen in millimeters. The value was obtained using Fiji image processing
File: winglength_fecundity_Fig3D.xlsx
Description: Size-specific fecundity of AUTO non-blood fed females, AUTO blood-fed females, NON-AUTO blood-fed females. These that are the basis of the conclusion that Size-specific fecundity is lower in AUTO relative to NON-AUTO both with and without access to a blood meal.
Variables:
- vial_number: the unique number for each female
- cohort_cage: a cohort includes all the females in a population that eclosed on the same day. They were kept in the same cage, but individuals from the same cohort were often collected on different days to get different ages.
- population: Either NON-AUTO (for the anautogenous control line, the females were bloodfed for this experiment); AUTO (the line that was selected to produce autogenous eggs, the females were not blood-fed for this experiment); or AUTO-BF (the autogenous line, but the females were blood-fed for this experiment)
- date_eclosed (cup out): The date that the pupal cup was removed from the cohort cage (and thus all females had eclosed in the past 24 hours from this date)
- date_fed: the date that females which received a bloodmeal were fed (NA if the female was not bloodfed)
- date_frozen: date that the female was collected and frozen for later dissection
- eggs_water: the number of eggs found in the water of the vial (that were laid by the female but fell of the oviposition paper)
- eggs_paper: the number of eggs found on the oviposition paper, laid by each female in their individual vial)
- eggs_dissected: the number of eggs found inside the female via dissection of ovaries
- eggs_total: the total number of eggs produced by that female (the sum of eggs_water, egg_paper, and eggs_total)
- wing_length: the length of the wing from the notch to the farthest tip of the wing (mm)
DATASET B: LARVAL QUANTITATIVE REVERSE RT-PCR (qRT-PCR)
File: larval_qRT_rawdata_for_Dryad.xlsx
Description: raw Ct values for qRT-PCR of the following four genes: Hexamerin (hex1.1), Lipid Storage Droplet Protein 2 (lsd2), Diacylglycerol acyltransferase (Dgat1) and Fatty Acid Synthase (fas). Each sheet in the spreadsheet is labeled by the relevant gene amplified in either males or females. These data are the basis of the conclusion that female AUTO larvae increase the expression of protein storage (hex 1.1) and lipid storage (lsd2) genes relative to NON-AUTO female larvae, but not lipid lipid metabolism genes (Dgat1, fas).
Variables
- Well: specific well designation on 96-well plate
- Flour: Flourochromne = SYBR green
- Target: NTC = non-template control (water), Unkn= not relevant
- Sample: Population (AUTO/NON-AUTO)and Biological Replicate(1-4)
- Cq: Ct value
Access information
Other publicly accessible locations of the data:
- N/A
Data was derived from the following sources:
- N/A