1st Place: Differences in detrital resource availability for Aedes albopictus and Culex pipiens mosquitoes along socioeconomic gradients and implications for competition

Monday, November 14, 2022

8:12 AM – 8:24 AM PT

Location: Vancouver Convention Centre, Meeting Room 203

Presenting Author(s)

Sarah Rothman (she/her/hers)

Graduate Assistant
University of Maryland
Riverdale, Maryland

Co-Author(s)

SL

Shannon LaDeau

Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies
Millbrook, New York
AR

Amanda Rockler

University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland
HM

Hubert Montas

University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland
SW

Sacoby Wilson

University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland
AS

Adel Shirmohammadi

University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland
VC

Victoria Chanse

University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland
Paul T. Leisnham

University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland

Aedes albopictus and Culex pipiens, the two most abundant mosquito species in Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC, are capable of vectoring numerous arboviruses. Previous research has shown that adult mosquitoes are larger, more abundant, and have higher rates of infection in low-income neighborhoods, creating a disproportionate and unjust risk of disease for low-income residents. The abundance, distribution, and vectorial capacity of A. albopictus and C. pipiens are mostly determined by developmental ecology in water-filled container habitats, including strong resource competition for allochthonous organic detritus and associated microbes. In summer 2020, we surveyed canopy vegetation likely to collect in containers across 18 socioeconomically diverse neighborhoods in Baltimore and DC. High-income neighborhoods more frequently contained native tree cover species, including Acer rubrum and Ulmus americana, while low-income neighborhoods were dominated by non-native species like Ailanthus altissima and Paulownia tomentosa. Several studies have shown that detritus type, including plant native status, can affect mosquito life history and competitive outcomes among container mosquito species, but none have rigorously examined the effects of detritus along socioeconomic gradients in urban landscapes. Since container mosquito communities are often structured by resource competition, we are raising A. albopictus and C. pipiens larvae on plant species characteristic of diverse neighborhoods, measuring life history traits such as survival, development time, and adult body size as well as the outcome of competition between the two mosquito species. Understanding the ecological mechanisms underpinning mosquito distributions and abundances can help us better address associated disease risks.