Mosquito Larvae in Tires from Mississippi, United States: The Efficacy of Abiotic and Biotic Parameters in Predicting Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Mosquito Populations and Communities.
Container systems, including discarded vehicle tires, which support populations of mosquitoes, have been of interest for understanding the variables that produce biting adults that serve as both nuisances and as public health threats. We sampled tires in six sites at three times in 2012 across the state of Mississippi to understand the biotic and abiotic variables responsible for explaining patterns of larvae of common species, species richness, and total abundance of mosquitoes. From 498 tires sampled, we collected >58,000 immatures representing 16 species, with the most common species including Aedes albopictus (Skuse), Culex quinquefasciatus (L.), Orthopodomyia signifera (Coquillett), Aedes triseriatus (Say), Toxorhynchites rutilus septentrionalis (Coquillett), and Culex territans (Walker) accounting for ∼97% of all larvae. We also documented 32 new county records for resident species and recent arrivals in the state, including Aedes japonicus japonicus (Theobald) and Culex coronator (Dyar & Knab). Cluster analysis, which was used to associate sites and time periods based on similar mosquito composition, did reveal patterns across the state; however, there also were more general patterns between species and genera and environmental factors. Broadly, Aedes was often associated with factors related to detritus, whereas Culex was frequently associated with habitat variables (e.g., tire size and water volume) and microorganisms. Some Culex did lack factors connecting variation in early and late instars, suggesting differences between environmental determinants of oviposition and survival. General patterns between the tire environment and mosquito larvae do appear to exist, especially at the generic level, and point to inherent differences between genera that may aid in predicting vector locations and populations.
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 39406. donald.yee@usm.edu.
Donald A
DA
Yee
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 39406. Present address: The Oliverian School, 28 Becket Dr., Pike, NH 03780.
Alisa A
AA
Abuzeineh
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 39406.
Nnaemeka F
NF
Ezeakacha
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 39406.
Stephanie S
SS
Schelble
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 39406.
William C
WC
Glasgow
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 39406.
Stephen D
SD
Flanagan
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 39406.
Jeffrey J
JJ
Skiff
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 39406.
Ashton
A
Reeves
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 39406.
Kevin
K
Kuehn
D063147:Animal Distribution; D000818:Animals; D009033:Culicidae / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D004777:Environment; D005843:Geography; D007814:Larva / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D008136:Longevity; D008922:Mississippi; D011157:Population Dynamics; D013045:Species Specificity; D013997:Time Factors
Aedes; Culex; arbovirus; container; invasive