Environmental drivers for Coquillettidia mosquito habitat selection: a method to highlight key field factors

Abstract

International audienc

Environmental factors associated with the distribution of floodwater mosquito eggs in irrigated fields in Wrocław, Poland

“…Studies of the criteria involved in mosquito habitat selection have been carried out mainly on species of public health concern, such as Anopheles sp., Aedes sp., Culex sp., Toxorhynchites sp., and Wyeomyia sp. and show that site selection is strongly species dependent (Sérandour et al 2010).…”

“…mosquitoes showed that the most suitable habitats were ponds with the presence of larval host plants such as Typha sp., Phragmites sp., and Juncus sp. (Sérandour et al 2010). The presence of larvae was significantly correlated with physical‐chemical factors and the optimal water characteristics were natural pH, low salt concentration, and a relatively low level of suspended particulate matter.…”

“…Field studies have demonstrated that mosquitoes have the ability to discriminate between suitable habitats for egg deposition, thus determining the distribution of larval population (Sérandour et al 2010). According to Strickman (1980a), egg distribution within natural and constructed wetlands is dependant on the quality of the breeding site (soil conditions, vegetation structure, and sufficient water fluctuation).…”

“…However, field data also indicate that ovipositioning Aedes dorsalis (Meigen), Aedes sollicitans (Walker), and Aedes taeniorhynchus (Wiedemann) are attracted to, or tolerate, soil with a high content of inorganic ions (Strickman 1980b). Moreover, the importance of chemical signals has been widely investigated in laboratory studies, resulting in a long list of molecules acting either as attractants and stimulants, such as terpenes, fatty acids esters, and pheromones or as deterrents and repellents, including salts, carboxylic acids, and phytochemicals (Sérandour et al 2010).…”

“…Under natural conditions, Aedes vexans (Meigen) populations ceased to oviposit when major floods inundated the usual oviposition sites. Physical factors such as optical density, temperature, and reflectance have been also recognized as critical for the choice of breeding site by female mosquitoes (Sérandour et al 2010).…”