Mosquito Larvae in Tires from Mississippi, United States: The Efficacy of Abiotic and Biotic Parameters in Predicting Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Mosquito Populations and Communities

Abstract

Container systems, including discarded vehicle tires, which support populations of mosquitoes, have been of interest for understanding the variables that produce biting adults that serve as both nuisances and as public health threats. We sampled tires in six sites at three times in 2012 across the state of Mississippi to understand the biotic and abiotic variables responsible for explaining patterns of larvae of common species, species richness, and total abundance of mosquitoes. From 498 tires sampled, we collected >58,000 immatures representing 16 species, with the most common species including Aedes albopictus (Skuse), Culex quinquefasciatus (L.), Orthopodomyia signifera (Coquillett), Aedes triseriatus (Say), Toxorhynchites rutilus septentrionalis (Coquillett), and Culex territans (Walker) accounting for ∼97% of all larvae. We also documented 32 new county records for resident species and recent arrivals in the state, including Aedes japonicus japonicus (Theobald) and Culex coronator (Dyar & Knab). Cluster analysis, which was used to associate sites and time periods based on similar mosquito composition, did reveal patterns across the state; however, there also were more general patterns between species and genera and environmental factors. Broadly, Aedes was often associated with factors related to detritus, whereas Culex was frequently associated with habitat variables (e.g., tire size and water volume) and microorganisms. Some Culex did lack factors connecting variation in early and late instars, suggesting differences between environmental determinants of oviposition and survival. General patterns between the tire environment and mosquito larvae do appear to exist, especially at the generic level, and point to inherent differences between genera that may aid in predicting vector locations and populations.

What Can Larval Ecology Tell Us About the Success ofAedes albopictus(Diptera: Culicidae) Within the United States?: Table 1.

“…In both of these studies, Ae. albopictus larvae were often found in tires associated with low human densities (Yee et al , 2015a, which is consistent with its preference for more rural habitats (Hawley 1988). Murrell et al (2011) surveyed cemetery vases across Florida to understand dynamics between detritus, fine particulate organic matter, dissolved nutrients (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, CNP), and the abundance of Ae.…”

“…Bacterial productivity (production of new bacterial cells hr -1 ) was important for larval presence in summer, but not in spring. Using a similar approach in Mississippi, Yee et al (2015a) examined tires in six counties during spring and summer. Abundance of Ae.…”

“…The last major aquatic group of heterotrophic microorganisms in containers are the protozoans, which themselves represent a wide variety of trophic positions, including predators . Tires harbor at least three dozen species of protozoans (Yee et al , 2012a(Yee et al , 2015a and they appear to be affected by the collective feeding of container inhabitants (Yee et al 2007c). An assessment of the direct effects of protozoans from containers on Ae.…”

“…Moreover, although other factors such as human density, container type, and adult behavior are known to affect populations of Ae. albopictus (Yee et al , 2015a, the focus of this review was on the influence of resources. Herein, I use the inclusive term "nutrients" in reference to the abiotic material (e.g., dissolved organic nutrients, fine and course particulate detritus, organic molecules) ingested by larvae that allows them to complete development, whereas I use "microorganisms" (including bacteria, protozoan, fungi) as the biotic portion of these same environments.…”

Reducing the Risk of Zika and other Arboviruses by Rapidly Eliminating Aedes albopictus Larvae from Tires Using a Spray Formulation of Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis.

“…Baited eugenol pesticide using backpack sprayers and bait stations have been used to effectively reduce adult Aedes populations at tire sites in Florida (Revay et al 2014). For larval mosquito control, removal of tires and hand tossed granular pesticide application can be effective (GarzaRobledo et al 2011, Yee et al 2015). However, when treating stacks of tires, reducing larval populations of mosquitoes can be dangerous;technicians use ladders andexpensive equipmentis often needed to get above stacks of tires, e.g.…”