Comparative ability to detoxify alder leaf litter in field larval mosquitocollections

The larvicidal effects of polyphenols from dietary alder leaf litter were i nvestigated in different field collections of three detritivorous Aedes tax a (Ae. detritus, Ae, cataphylla, Ae. rusticus) and compared to the cytochro me P450 monooxygenase, glutathione S-transferase, and esterase activities. Larvae from polyphenol-rich habitats had a higher tolerance for polyphenols and higher midgut cytochrome P450 and esterase activities than larvae from polyphenol-poor habitats. Furthermore, the role of P450 enzymes in the mec hanism of resistance to alder polyphenols was suggested by the synergistic effect in vivo of piperonyl butoxide in the resistant Ae. rusticus. This co nfirms the importance of polyphenols to larval mosquito performance, and pr ovides evidence for the importance of specific detoxification mechanisms fo r tolerance to dietary polyphenols. Arch. Insect Biochem. Physiol, 44:143-1 50, 2000. (C) 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.