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opencc-zeroJan 2024View details →

Spatially explicit habitat selection: testing contagion and the ideal free distribution with culex mosquitoes

Since its inception, attempts have been made to improve Ideal Free Distribution (IFD) Theory in order make it better fit real-world data. Spatial contagion is a newer ecological concept that suggests the perceived quality of a patch can be affected by the quality of its neighbor patches. Here, we present a series of experiments testing for potential contagion effects, examining how contagion can interact with the IFD, and determining whether spatial context affects assessment of habitat quality. First, we tested whether the presence of conspecific competitors negatively impacts oviposition habitat selection by female mosquitoes (Culex restuans). We then used a more complex spatial landscape to determine whether competition can create a spatial contagion effect. Finally, we examined whether the density of conspecifics can adjust the contagion effect of nutrient availability. We found that while females avoided patches containing conspecifics, there was no effect of competition/density on neighboring patches. Additionally, we found that resource availability was a significant predictor of where egg rafts were laid, but resource availability did not have a contagion effect. These results provide further support for the utility of the IFD, as individuals were able to accurately assess patch-level habitat quality.

Figure 3 in Distribution and molecular differentiation of Culex pipiens complex species in the Middle and Eastern Black Sea Regions of Turkey

Figure 3. Points of the studied samples for Ace-2 marker.

Figure 2 in Distribution and molecular differentiation of Culex pipiens complex species in the Middle and Eastern Black Sea Regions of Turkey

Figure 2. Distribution of Culex species in sample collection areas.

Figure 1 in Distribution and molecular differentiation of Culex pipiens complex species in the Middle and Eastern Black Sea Regions of Turkey

Figure 1. The study area (study areas are red-lined areas).

Figure 6 in Distribution and molecular differentiation of Culex pipiens complex species in the Middle and Eastern Black Sea Regions of Turkey

Figure 6. Points of the studied samples for CQ11 marker.

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2018View details →

Figure 1 in Genetic characterization of field populations of Culex pipiens Linnaeus, 1758 (Diptera: Culicidae) sampled from the Aegean region of Turkey

Figure 1. Map of collection localities for mosquitoes.

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2018View details →

Figure 2. A in Genetic characterization of field populations of Culex pipiens Linnaeus, 1758 (Diptera: Culicidae) sampled from the Aegean region of Turkey

Figure 2. A UPGMA dendrogram based on Nei's (1972) genetic distances among C. pipiens populations.

opencc-by-4.0Oct 2022View details →

Culex pipiens merged anvi'o profiles from midgut and ovary metagenomes

Anvi’o merged profile databases for Culex pipiens midgut and ovary samples.

opencc-by-4.0Oct 2022View details →

Wolbachia MAGs from Culex pipiens midgut and ovary metagenomes

Wolbachia MAGs (fasta files) from Culex pipiens midgut and ovary samples.

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2021View details →

Figure 1 in Culex (Culex) gaugleri, a new species (Diptera: Culicidae) from India

Figure 1. Culex gaugleri sp. nov. (holotype, female) a lateral view of entire mosquito.

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2020View details →

Table 1 in German CULex pipienS biotype MoLeStUS and CULex torrentiUM are vector-competent for Usutu virus

Table 1 Infection, dissemination, and transmission rates of mosquitoes infected with the German USUV Africa 2 strain<table><tbody><tr><th>Blood meal virus titer (TCID 50 /ml)</th><th>Mosquito species</th><th>Dpi</th><th>Infection rate (%) (95% CI)</th><th>Mean viral load bodies (viral copies/µl of total RNA)</th><th>Dissemination rate (%) (95% CI)</th><th>Mean viral load legs plus wings (viral copies/µl of total RNA)</th><th>Transmission rate (%) (95% CI)</th></tr></tbody><tbody><tr><th>High titer 10 7.4</th><td>Culex pipiens biotype molestus a</td><td>14</td><td>8/10 (80.0) (44.4–97.5)</td><td>6.9 × 10 5</td><td>3/8 (37.5) (8.5–75.5)</td><td>9.0 × 10 3</td><td>3/3 (100) (29.2–100)</td></tr><tr><th></th><td></td><td>21</td><td>4/6 (66.7) (22.3–95.7)</td><td>5.6 × 10 5</td><td>4/4 (100) (39.7–100)</td><td>1.5 × 10 4</td><td>3/4 (75.0) (19.4–99.4)</td></tr><tr><th></th><td>Cx.pipiens biotype molestus b</td><td>16</td><td>13/16 (81.3) (54.4–96.0)</td><td>1.9 × 10 6</td><td>13/13 (100) (75.3–100)</td><td>7.8 × 10 4</td><td>2/13 (15.4) (1.9–45.4)</td></tr><tr><th></th><td></td><td>21</td><td>8/10 (80.0) (44.4–97.5)</td><td>8.1 × 10 5</td><td>8/8 (100) (63.1–100)</td><td>7.8 × 10 4</td><td>4/8 (50.0) (15.7–84.3)</td></tr><tr><th></th><td>Aedes aegypti d</td><td>14</td><td>0/53 (0) (0–6.7)</td><td>NA</td><td>NA</td><td>NA</td><td>NA</td></tr><tr><th></th><td></td><td>21</td><td>4/22 (18.2) (5.2–40.3)</td><td>2.3 × 10 5</td><td>1/4 (25.0) (0.6–80.6)</td><td>5.5 × 10 3</td><td>0/1 (0) (0–97.5)</td></tr><tr><th>Low titer 10 5.1</th><td>Cx.pipiens biotype molestus a</td><td>14</td><td>2/36 (5.6) (0.7–18.7)</td><td>1.2 × 10 2</td><td>0/2 (0) (0–84.2)</td><td>NA</td><td>NA</td></tr><tr><th></th><td></td><td>21</td><td>1/19 (5.3) (0.7–18.7)</td><td>5.4 × 10 1</td><td>0/1 (0) (0–84.2)</td><td>NA</td><td>NA</td></tr><tr><th></th><td>Cx.torrentium c</td><td>14</td><td>1/8 (12.5) (0.3–52.7)</td><td>2.8 × 10 1</td><td>0/1 (0) (0–97.5)</td><td>NA</td><td>NA</td></tr><tr><th></th><td></td><td>21</td><td>1/8 (12.5) (0.3–52.7)</td><td>3.9 × 10 6</td><td>1/1 (100) (2.5–100)</td><td>4.7 × 10 4</td><td>1/1 (100) (2.5–100)</td></tr></tbody></table>Transmission rates include results from the saliva inoculation on Vero cells and from the RT-qPCRs of cell culture supernatants.All mosquitoes were incubated for 14/16 or 21 days.Absolute quantification of virus copies/µl of total RNA was performed via an RT-qPCR-based calibration curveCI confidence interval, dpi days post infection, NA not applicablea Cx.pipiens biotype molestus laboratory colony from“Wendland,” Lower Saxony,Germanyb Cx.pipiens biotype molestus laboratory colony from Novi Sad,the Republic of Serbiac Cx.torrentium field-collected colony near Berlin and Bonn,North Rhine-Westphalia,Germanyd Ae. aegypti laboratory colony from Malaysia (Bayer CropScience,Langenfeld,Germany)

opencc-zeroDec 2022View details →

Culex pipiens choice chamber data

Insect attraction to artificial light can potentially facilitate disease transmission by increasing contact between humans and vectors. Previous research has identified specific wavelength bands, such as yellow and red, that are unattractive to biting flies. However, narrow-band, non-white lights are unsuitable for home lighting use, as their very poor colour rendering is often considered aesthetically undesirable. The creation of a white light that is unattractive to insects has so far remained elusive. White light can be created by combining a number of narrow-band light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Through choice chamber experiments on Culex pipiens mosquitoes, we examine whether combining specific wavelength bands has an additive, subtractive or synergistic effect on insect attraction. We show that a white light created by combining narrow-band red, green and blue (RGB) LEDs is less attractive to Cx. pipiens than a broad-spectrum white light; and that a white light created by combining narrow-band blue and yellow LEDs is more attractive than a broad-spectrum white light. White light produced by RGB combinations could therefore serve as a safer and cheaper light in countries where phototactic vectors and vector-borne diseases are endemic.

opencc-zeroSep 2023View details →

Heterocypris incongruens maintains an egg bank in stormwater habitats and influences the development of larval mosquito, Culex restuans

Dormant propagules can provide a rapid colonization source for temporary aquatic habitats and set the trajectory for community dynamics, yet the egg banks of stormwater management systems have received little attention. We asked which species hatched from the sediment of drainage ditches in Champaign County, IL, and found bdelloid rotifers and ostracods (Heterocypris incongruens) to be the most common taxa. These sites also are colonized by mosquitoes, and we established laboratory experiments to examine interspecific interactions between common co-occurring taxa. Culex restuans larvae were reared in the presence or absence of H. incongruens at two intra- and interspecific densities (20 or 40 total individuals) and their survivorship to adulthood, development time to adulthood, adult body size, and sex ratio were determined. Survival for Cx. restuans was significantly lower at high larval density than at low larval density in both treatments. Culex restuans larvae reared in the presence of H. incongruens had a shorter development time to adulthood and emerged as larger adults compared to those reared in the absence of H. incongruens. The sex ratios in the H. incongruens treatments were female-biased whereas those in the Culex-only treatments were male-biased. These differences may have epidemiological implications, as only female mosquitoes serve as disease vectors. Our results emphasize the importance of understanding interspecific interactions in influencing larval mosquito development traits.

opencc-zeroSep 2023View details →

Spatiotemporal organization of cryptic North American Culex species along an urbanization gradient

Landscape heterogeneity creates diverse habitat and resources for mosquito vectors of disease. A consequence may be varied distribution and abundance of vector species over space and time dependent on niche requirements. We tested the hypothesis that landscape heterogeneity driven by urbanization influences the distribution and relative abundance of Culex pipiens , Cx. restuans, and Cx. quinquefasciatus, three vectors of West Nile virus (WNv) in the eastern North American landscape. We collected 9,803 cryptic Culex from urban, suburban, and rural sites in metropolitan Washington, District of Columbia, during the months of June-October, 2019-2021. In 2021, we also collected mosquitoes in April and May to measure early-season abundance and distribution. Molecular techniques were used to identify a subset of collected Culex to species (n = 2,461). Ecological correlates of the spatiotemporal distribution of these cryptic Culex were examined using constrained and unconstrained ordination. Seasonality was not associated with Culex community composition in June-October over three years but introducing April and May data revealed seasonal shifts in community composition in the final year of our study. Culex pipiens were dominant across site types, while Cx. quinquefasciatus were associated with urban environments, and Cx. restuans were associated with rural and suburban sites. All three species rarely coexisted. Synthesis and applications: Our work demonstrates that human-mediated land-use changes influence the distribution and relative abundance of Culex vectors of WNv, even on fine geospatial scales. Site classification, percent impervious surface, distance to city center, and longitude predicted Culex community composition. We documented active Culex months before vector surveillance typically commences in this region, with Culex restuans being most abundant during April and May. Active suppression of Cx. restuans in April and May could reduce early enzootic transmission, delay the seasonal spread of WNv, and thereby reduce overall WNv burden. By June, the highest risk of epizootic spillover of WNv to human hosts may be in suburban areas with high human population density and mixed Culex assemblages that can transmit WNv between birds and humans. Focusing management efforts there may further reduce human disease burden.