Hump-shaped density-dependent regulation of mosquito oviposition site-selection by conspecific immature stages: theory, field test with Aedes albopictus, and a meta-analysis.

Oviposition site selection by gravid females is an important determinant of the distribution, abundance, and dynamics of dipteran hematophagous insects. The presence of conspecific immature stages in a potential oviposition site could, on the one hand, indicate the suitability of that site but on the other hand could indicate the potential for intraspecific competition. In this paper, we present a graphic model suggesting that the trade-off between these two opposing forces could result in a hump-shaped density-dependent relationship between oviposition rate and conspecific immature stage density (hereafter, the "Hump-shaped regulation model") with positive effects of aggregation prevailing at low densities and negative effect of intraspecific competition prevailing at higher densities. We field-tested the predictions of this model at both the egg- and the larval levels with Aedes albopictus and evaluated if and how these relationships are affected by resource enrichment. We found support for the hump-shaped regulation model at both the larval and the egg levels. Using oviposition cups containing varying numbers of conspecific larvae, we showed that the oviposition activity of Ae. albopictus first increases and then decreases with larvae number. Medium enrichment resulted in higher hatching rate, and demonstrated linear relations for the no-enrichment treatment where larvae density range was low and hump-shaped relationship for the enriched medium that had a wider larvae density range. Using pairs of oviposition cups, we showed that at low egg densities mosquitoes laid more eggs on substrates containing pre-existing eggs. However, at higher egg densities, mosquitoes laid more eggs on a virgin substrate. Based on our results and on a meta-analysis, we suggest that due to study design or methodological shortcomings the hump-shaped regulation model is often left undetected and that it is likely to be more common than currently thought.

NRF2 Oxidative Stress Induced by Heavy Metals is Cell Type Dependent.

Exposure to metallic environmental toxicants has been demonstrated to induce a variety of oxidative stress responses in mammalian cells. The transcription factor Nrf2 is activated in response to oxidative stress and coordinates the expression of antioxidant gene products. In this study, we describe the development of an Nrf2-specific reporter gene assay that can be used to study the oxidative stress response in multiple cell types. Using five different cell lines, the Nrf2-activating potency of twenty metals was assessed across a range of concentrations. While ten of the metals tested (cadmium, cobalt, copper, gold, iron, lead, mercury, silver, sodium arsenite and zinc) stimulated Nrf2-dependent transcriptional activity in at least three of the engineered cell lines, only three (cadmium, copper and sodium arsenite) were active in all five cell lines. A comparison of metal-induced Nrf2 transcriptional activation revealed significant differences in the absolute magnitude of activation as well as the relative potencies between the cell lines tested. However, there was no direct correlation between activity and potency. Taken together, these results show that the capacity to stimulate Nrf2 activity and relative potencies of these test compounds are highly dependent on the cell type tested. Since oxidative stress is thought to be involved in the mode of action of many toxicological studies, this observation may inform the design of paradigms for toxicity testing for toxicant prioritization and characterization.