Larval competition between the invasive Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) and the Caribbean endemic Aedes mediovittatus (Diptera: Culicidae) from Puerto Rico, USA.

Competition between mosquito species during the larval phase is a well-established mechanism structuring container mosquito communities, with invasive species often outperforming natives. We assessed the competitive outcome between 2 species that occur on the island of Puerto Rico, the historic invasive Aedes aegypti (L.) and the endemic Aedes mediovittatus (Coquillett) (Diptera: Culicidae).

Competitive interactions with Aedes albopictus alter the nutrient content of Aedes aegypti.

Competition is often cited as a central force that affects the distribution and performance of organisms. Ecological stoichiometry is the balance of elements within animal bodies that can be affected by resource acquisition and processing, as well as by intra- or interspecific interactions. Though relatively underexplored for mosquitoes, stoichiometry may provide a wealth of information linking ecological interactions to body nutrient content, and potentially on to pathogen transmission.

Non-target effects of methoprene and larvicidal surface films on invertebrate predators of mosquito larvae.

Mosquito larvicides are used across a variety of aquatic habitats, although when applied they likely affect other aquatic organisms. The removal or impairment of top insect predators via larvicides could be beneficial to mosquitoes by allowing their populations to rebound once pesticide levels dissipate. Our goal was to determine if two larvicide types, growth regulators (IGRs) and surface films (SFs), harm non-target aquatic insect communities, and if these chemicals influence the ability of predatory aquatic insects to regulate mosquitoes.

Plant pollen as a resource affecting the development and survival of the mosquitoes Anopheles quadrimaculatus and Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae).

Mosquito larvae often subsist on inputs of terrestrial-derived resources, including leaves and dead insects. However, seasonal inputs of plant pollen is an underexplored resource for many species. We compared the effects of three levels (low, medium, high) of two pollen types (corn, pine) on development, mass, and survival in Anopheles quadrimaculatus (Say) and Culex quinquefasciatus (Say) (Diptera: Culcidae).

Ontogenetic Changes in Nutrients and Stoichiometry in the Invasive Mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae).

A variety of physiological, morphological, and behavioral changes occur throughout the life cycle of mosquitoes, which can be correlated with a shift from the aquatic to terrestrial environment. Aedes albopictus Skuse is an abundant invasive species from Asia that was introduced into the Americas in the 1980's and is responsible for transmitting several important human disease-causing pathogens. How physiological and anatomical changes within each instar and throughout the developmental stages are related to changes in carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) levels are an unexplored area of mosquito ecology.

Mosquito Surveillance for West Nile Virus.

Identifying the mosquitoes responsible for transmitting human disease-causing pathogens is of critical importance for effective control of mosquito-borne outbreaks. West Nile virus is often transferred by adult female mosquitoes in the genus Culex, which deposit eggs in a variety of aquatic habitats throughout the world. Herein we describe several methodological approaches to monitor these species in nature, as well as offering details for data collection and analysis.

Robust network stability of mosquitoes and human pathogens of medical importance.

Background: The exact number of mosquito species relevant to human health is unknown, posing challenges in understanding the scope and breadth of vector-pathogen relationships, and how resilient mosquito vector-pathogen networks are to targeted eradication of vectors.

Methods: We performed an extensive literature survey to determine the associations between mosquito species and their associated pathogens of human medical importance. For each vector-pathogen association, we then determined the strength of the associations (i.

Mapping Yellow fever epidemics as a potential indicator of the historical range of Aedes aegypti in the United States.

Background: Yellow fever (YF) plagued the United States from the 1690s until 1905, resulting in thousands of deaths. Within the US, Aedes aegypti is the only YF vector and almost no data exists for the location of this species prior to the early 1900s.

Objectives: To determine the historical range of Ae.

Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) on the islands of Puerto Rico and Vieques, U.S.A.

We conducted an island-wide survey of the Caribbean islands Puerto Rico and Vieques, U.S.A.

Transmission Potential of Zika Virus by Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) and Ae. mediovittatus (Diptera: Culicidae) Populations From Puerto Rico.

Recurrence of local transmission of Zika virus in Puerto Rico is a major public health risk to the United States, where mosquitoes Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) and Aedes mediovittatus (Coquillett) are abundant. To determine the extent to which Ae. mediovittatus are capable of transmitting Zika virus and the influence of viremia, we evaluated infection and transmission in Ae.

Temporal and Spatial Blood Feeding Patterns of Urban Mosquitoes in the San Juan Metropolitan Area, Puerto Rico.

Urban ecosystems are a patchwork of habitats that host a broad diversity of animal species. Insects comprise a large portion of urban biodiversity which includes many pest species, including those that transmit pathogens. Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) inhabit urban environments and rely on sympatric vertebrate species to complete their life cycles, and in this process transmit pathogens to animals and humans.

Do socioeconomic factors drive mosquito vectors and their arboviral diseases? A systematic review of dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika Virus.

As the threat of arboviral diseases continues to escalate worldwide, the question of, "What types of human communities are at the greatest risk of infection?" persists as a key gap in the existing knowledge of arboviral diseases transmission dynamics. Here, we comprehensively review the existing literature on the socioeconomic drivers of the most common mosquito-borne diseases and mosquito presence/abundance. We reviewed a total of 182 studies on dengue viruses (DENV), chikungunya virus (CHIKV), yellow fever virus (YFVV), Zika virus (ZIKV), and presence of mosquito vectors.

No Evidence That Salt Water Ingestion Kills Adult Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae).

Various products and insecticides are available that purport to reduce wild populations of adult mosquitoes. Recently, several manufacturers and general public comments on the internet have promoted devices that claim that ingestion of salt will significantly reduce populations of wild mosquitoes to near zero; there are no known scientific efficacy data that support these claims. We tested the survival of nine mosquito species of pest and public health importance across four adult diets: Water Only, Sugar Water Only (8.

Quantifying species traits related to oviposition behavior and offspring survival in two important disease vectors.

Animals with complex life cycles have traits related to oviposition and juvenile survival that can respond to environmental factors in similar or dissimilar ways. We examined the preference-performance hypothesis (PPH), which states that females lacking parental care select juvenile habitats that maximize fitness, for two ubiquitous mosquito species, Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus. Specifically, we examined if environmental factors known to affect larval abundance patterns in the field played a role in the PPH for these species.

Linking nutrient stoichiometry to Zika virus transmission in a mosquito.

Food quality and quantity serve as the basis for cycling of key chemical elements in trophic interactions; yet the role of nutrient stoichiometry in shaping host-pathogen interactions is under appreciated. Most of the emergent mosquito-borne viruses affecting human health are transmitted by mosquitoes that inhabit container systems during their immature stages, where allochthonous input of detritus serves as the basal nutrients. Quantity and type of detritus (animal and plant) were manipulated in microcosms containing newly hatched Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae.

Linking Water Quality to Aedes aegypti and Zika in Flood-Prone Neighborhoods.

The ability of ecosystems to regulate water quality and flood events has been linked to health outcomes, including mosquito-borne illnesses. In the San Juan Bay Estuary watershed of Puerto Rico, habitat alterations and land-use development have disrupted watershed hydrology, exacerbating wastewater discharges and subjecting some neighborhoods to frequent flooding events. In 2016, the mosquito-borne illness Zika became a new cause for concern.

The role of temperature in affecting carry-over effects and larval competition in the globally invasive mosquito Aedes albopictus.

Background: Ectotherms, like mosquitoes, have evolved specific responses to variation in environmental conditions like temperature, and these responses could confer a fitness benefit or cost when carried-over to different life stages. However, effects of temperature on animals with complex life-cycles often only focus on part of their life-cycle, or only consider how single aspects of life-history may carry over to new stages. Herein we investigated how temperature affects intraspecific larval competition and carry-over effects from larval to adult stages in the widespread invasive Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus.

Oviposition preference and offspring performance in container breeding mosquitoes: evaluating the effects of organic compounds and laboratory colonisation.

The preference-performance hypothesis predicts that organisms lacking parental care should oviposit in habitats that optimize offspring performance. We investigated preference-performance relationships for the Asian tiger mosquito ( Skuse) and the southern house mosquito ( Say) (Diptera:Culicidae), two medically important container-breeding species, in response to an organic chemical blend mimicking decaying plant matter. Additionally, we evaluated the effects of long-term laboratory colonization of by using wild and laboratory strains.

A Statewide Survey for Container-Breeding Mosquitoes in Mississippi.

Container-breeding mosquitoes are important in public health due to outbreaks of Zika, chikungunya, and dengue viruses. This paper documents the distribution of container-breeding mosquito species in Mississippi, with special emphasis on the genus Aedes. Five sites in each of the 82 Mississippi counties were sampled monthly between May 1 and August 31, 2016, and 50,109 mosquitoes in 14 species were collected.

What Can Larval Ecology Tell Us About the Success of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) Within the United States?

Aedes albopictus (Skuse) was introduced in the United States approximately 30 years ago, and since has become an important pest and vector of disease. This species uses small water-holding containers as sites for oviposition and larval development. Larvae can consume a wide range of detritus-based energy sources, including microorganisms, and as such the type and quantity of detritus that enters these systems have been studied for the effects on adult populations.