The Quest for Immortality in Triatomines: A Meta-Analysis of the Senescence Process in Hemimetabolous Hematophagous Insects

PAULA MEDONE; JORGE RABINOVICH; ELIANA NIEVES; SOLEDAD CECCARELLI; DELMI CANALE; RAÚL L. STARIOLO; FRÉDÉRIC MENU

Senescence

Intech

Lugar: Rijeka; Año: 2012; p. 225 - 250

Most studies in triatomines have investigated physiology, population genetics, phylogeny (see Gourbière et al., 2011 for a review) and ecology of a given species (e.g., Dumonteil et al., 2002; Gourbière et al., 2008; Barbu et al., 2011) but very few studies have investigated the evolution of life history traits in the light of evolutionary ecology concepts (Menu et al., 2010). Our study is the first comparative analysis to the senescence pattern and its relationship with life history traits in triatomines. Our results indicate that triatomines show both an actuarial and a reproductive senescence, with a high diversity of mortality patterns, even within a given genus. We believe that the relationship between life history traits, and particularly the trade-off between reproductive effort and future survival, is central to understand this diversity in mortality patterns. In order to identify ultimate and proximate factors underlying this diversity, we need longitudinal studies conducted in the field in order to estimate if the potential senescence observed in the laboratory can be expressed under natural (sylvatic and domestic) conditions. The analysis of senescence in relation to other life history traits in triatomines has not only academic value but also impinges in the areas of vector population management and epidemiology.