This project will identify and evaluate how urbanization alters ecosystem functions that regulate mosquito production, especially of species that transmit disease-causing agents. It will explore how urban habitat characteristics facilitate the production of mosquito larvae and blood-seeking adults that preferentially feed on humans. Data will be collected from urban and rural land-cover habitats within the Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES), an LTER site. A hierarchical Bayesian statistical framework will be used to quantify differences between urban and rural mosquito production at sites within a common watershed, and this work will establish the foundation for models to forecast mosquito population dynamics for the region.

Mosquito-borne disease risk in urban environments has risen in the past decade, as exemplified by West Nile virus in North America and other emerging pathogens around the globe. Understanding the factors that determine the spatial and temporal distribution of mosquito species diversity and population abundances, especially in relation to urban development, is of critical importance to understanding and managing the ecology of mosquito-borne diseases. The project will contribute to the training of one post-doctoral researcher and support the establishment of a promising beginning female investigator.

Project Report

The primary goals of this project were to develop and test protocols for measuring mosquito emergence production in engineered stormwater structures. In 2012, research was conducted at 16 stormwater structures located in Baltimore County, MD. Each structure was classified as a 'dry-detention basin', designed to dry within 72 hours of a precipitation event. However, all sites were visited twice 1 week after a precipitation event and only 4 (25%) were ever dry. Physical habitat structure, water chemistry and invertebrate community composition were quantified at each site twice during the mosquito season (June and early August). Four mosquito species (Aedes albopictus, Aedes vexans, Culex pipiens and Psorophora ferox) were collected. Culex pipiens, the predominant West Nile virus (WNV) vector, was by far the most widespread and abundant species collected. It was the only species collected during the mid-June sampling occasion, and was found at 11 of 16 sites. We found no significant relationship between density of invertebrate predator species and the abundance of mosquito pupae. Mosquito pupal densities were greater at sites draining more urban development in both sampling occasions. Similarly, mosquito pupal densities were positively related to both dissolved inorganic nitrogen and dissolved inorganic phosphorus levels in the water. This work is a critical first step to a broader survey of WNV vectors in an endemic region and has generated clear indication that storm water structures are productive vector habitats, especially when they drain more urban landscapes. Further work is planned to explore the mechanistic relationships between land cover, water quality, and adult mosquito emergence at engineered stormwater structures in this region.

Agency
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Institute
Division of Environmental Biology (DEB)
Type
Standard Grant (Standard)
Application #
1050611
Program Officer
Saran Twombly
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2011-03-01
Budget End
2013-02-28
Support Year
Fiscal Year
2010
Total Cost
$150,000
Indirect Cost
Name
Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Inc.
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Millbrook
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
12545