Mosquito phytophagy – sources exploited,ecological function,and evolutionary transition to haematophagy

For a very long time, mosquitoes have been known or suspected to consume plant liquids. Recently eclosed mosquitoes cannot survive long without consuming sugary plant liquids that provide fuel for flight and enable blood-feeding and mating. Populations of even highly synanthropic mosquitoes may not be able to persist without phytophagy, even when vertebrate blood is readily available. Phytophagy is a key element of mosquito ecology, and understanding it is critical to combat mosquito-borne diseases. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge about mosquito phytophagy and outline future research needs. Specifically, we review the many plant-derived food sources mosquitoes exploit, study the pollination function of mosquitoes, highlight the predation risks of plant-foraging mosquitoes, investigate the role of microbes in the sugar-foraging ecology of mosquitoes, and shed light on the evolution of haematophagy.