Spatial and temporal patterns in Arctic mosquito abundance
Ecological Applications
Links
- More information: Publisher Index Page (via DOI)
- Open Access Version: Publisher Index Page
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
- Organisms that undergo a shift in ontogeny and habitat type often change their spatial distribution throughout their life cycle, but how this affects population dynamics remains poorly understood.
- We examined spatial and temporal patterns in Aedes nigripes abundance, a widespread univoltine Arctic mosquito species (Diptera: Culicidae), hypothesizing that the spatial distribution of adults would be closely tied to aquatic habitat.
- We tracked adult densities of A. nigripes near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland using emergence traps, CO2-baited traps, and sweep-nets.
- In back-to-back years of sampling (2017 and 2018) we found two-fold variation in overall abundance.
- Adults were spatially patchy when first emerging from aquatic habitats but within a week, mean capture rates for host-seeking adult females were similar across locations, even in places far from larval habitat.
- Daily variation in mosquito captures was primarily explained by weather, with virtually no mosquito activity when temperatures averaged less than 8°C or wind speeds exceeded 6 m/s. Gravid females (3% of resting adults) were spatially patchy on the landscape, but not always in the same places where most adults emerged.
- The spatial distribution of adults is quickly uncoupled from the spatial distribution of larvae because A. nigripes females may disperse far from their natal habitats in search of a blood-meal and high-quality oviposition habitat.
- 8. This research highlights the value of studying ecological processes that act at disparate life stages for understanding the population biology of organisms with complex life cycles.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Spatial and temporal patterns in Arctic mosquito abundance |
| Series title | Ecological Applications |
| DOI | 10.1111/een.13198 |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication Date | November 18, 2022 |
| Year Published | 2023 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Royal Entomological Society |
| Contributing office(s) | Southwest Biological Science Center |
| Description | 12 p. |
| First page | 19 |
| Last page | 30 |
| Country | Greenland |