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

Abstract

A survey of distribution patterns of floodwater mosquito eggs related to environmental conditions such as moisture and plant associations was conducted by using soil samples from irrigated fields in Wrocław, Poland. Mosquito egg distribution was determined by repeatedly flooding the soil samples with aerated water at a temperature of 25° C. Under laboratory conditions, hatching in installments of Aedes caspius (Pallas) and Aedes vexans (Meigen) were commonly observed. The results show that ~75% of the larvae of Ae. caspius and Ae. vexans hatched after the first flooding under summer-like conditions, whereas, following the second and third flooding, the numbers of hatched larvae were significantly lower. In our study, within one intermediate flooded field, a total of 66 plant species was identified and classified into six communities. All vegetation types were associated by varied egg densities and showed differences both in richness and Shannon-Wiener diversity index as well as in ecological indices for moisture, soil reaction, and nutrient level. Small changes in elevation along the slope within the study area showed a large difference in the distribution of mosquito eggs. The highest average egg density was observed in zones with high occurrence of Phalaris arundinacea, usually prevalent in intermediate flooded and fertile areas. Knowledge of the indicators for the distribution of floodwater mosquito eggs in temporary breeding sites may be essential for organizing a successful, integrated mosquito control program with special regard to microbial control agents. Journal of Vector Ecology 36 (2): 332-342. 2011.

Mosquito distribution in a saltmarsh: determinants of eggs in a variable environment

“…Generally, there are strong correlations among elevation, tide height, and soil moisture within saltmarshes (Saintilan , Prahalad et al ), which also correspond to mosquito abundance (Dale et al , Jacups et al ). Moisture is an essential component in saltmarsh mosquito egg conditioning (Knight and Baker , Kay and Jorgensen ) and hatching (Andreadis , Rydzanicz et al , Cardo et al ) and many studies correlate Aedes spp. with wet, lower regions of saltmarshes that are periodically flooded by tide (De Little et al , Jacups et al , Cardo et al ).…”

Combining Hydrology and Mosquito Population Models to Identify the Drivers of Rift Valley Fever Emergence in Semi-Arid Regions of West Africa

“…The possible multiple hatches of a single brood after successive floodings were here neglected, as the majority of Ae. vexans larvae usually emerged after the first flooding [43], [44].…”

Lower abundance of flood water mosquito larvae in managed wet meadows in the lower Dalälven floodplains, Sweden

“…This was no surprise, since it has previously been demonstrated for smaller, isolated constructed marshlands that increasing phosphorus or nitrogen levels has a positive influence on the larval abundance of Culex and Anopheles mosquitoes (Mercer et al 2005;Walton 2012). However, Rydzanicz et al (2011) could not find a clear relationship between nutrient status and the number of floodwater mosquito eggs in grass fields irrigated with sewage water in Poland. Although there was no systematic difference in soil phosphorus (or for any other measured nutrient) between managed and unmanaged meadows in the present study, the meadows that had particularly high phosphorus content, and high larval mosquito abundance, were all unmanaged.…”