Mosquitoes are the most medically important group of insects, both from the viewpoint of the numbers of disease agents they transmit and the magnitude of the health problems these diseases cause world-wide. It is becoming increasingly clear that the vectorial capacity of adult mosquitoes is related to the dietary resources available to the larvae in their natural habitats. The current trend toward the use of control agents what are ingested by mosquito larvae emphasizes the urgent need for studies on their feeding behavior and nature of their dietary resources. This proposal is directed at furthering our knowledge of natural feeding ecology of mosquito larvae.
Our specific aims are: 1) to characterize, compare, and contrast the feeding strategies of Aedes triseriatus and Anopheles quadrimaculatus larvae in natural and simulated-natural environments; 2) to assess the nature and assimilation of resources ingested by larval mosquitoes as related to resource partitioning in habitats; 3) to examine and determine the relationship between larval habitat and adult productivity, based on the spatial and temporal distribution of dietary resources in natural habitats. Laboratory and field experiments include the following methodologies: 1) comparative analysis of larval feeding behaviors in field and simulated field conditions; 2) videomicroscopy and high speed microcinematography to analyze mouthpart movements as related to particle capture and feeding strategies; 3) X-ray diffraction and epifluorescent microscopy to determine the size and nature of particles ingested by larvae; 4) food choice experiments using natural foods (bacteria, protozoa, algae, detritus); 5) quantitative and qualitative characterization of the total organic pool of particulate and dissolved carbon; 6) 14-C labeling techniques to investigate the role of microorganisms, glycocalyces and structural components of particulates to larval growth; 7) microcosm studies to assess growth rates of larvae under manipulated dietary resources and larval mosquito densities in treeholes, tires, pond surface films and field microcosms to determine their effects on larval growth and adult productivity. Results of these studies will provide valuable information on the feeding behavior, diet, growth and production of larval mosquitoes in their natural habitat, which can then be related to vectorial capacity of adults, and will greatly assist in the formulation of new materials for field-use in the control of mosquitoes.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01AI021884-06
Application #
3132352
Study Section
Tropical Medicine and Parasitology Study Section (TMP)
Project Start
1984-12-01
Project End
1992-06-30
Budget Start
1990-07-01
Budget End
1991-06-30
Support Year
6
Fiscal Year
1990
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Michigan State University
Department
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
193247145
City
East Lansing
State
MI
Country
United States
Zip Code
48824
Walker, Edward D (2016) Toxicity of Sulfide and Ammonium to Aedes triseriatus Larvae (Diptera: Culicidae) in Water-Filled Tree Holes and Tires. J Med Entomol 53:577-583
Kaufman, Michael G; Fonseca, Dina M (2014) Invasion biology of Aedes japonicus japonicus (Diptera: Culicidae). Annu Rev Entomol 59:31-49
Kaufman, Michael G; Stanuszek, William W; Brouhard, Elizabeth A et al. (2012) Establishment of Aedes japonicus japonicus and its colonization of container habitats in Michigan. J Med Entomol 49:1307-17
Hamer, Gabriel L; Donovan, Danielle J; Hood-Nowotny, Rebecca et al. (2012) Evaluation of a stable isotope method to mark naturally-breeding larval mosquitoes for adult dispersal studies. J Med Entomol 49:61-70
Pelz-Stelinski, Kirsten; Kaufman, Michael G; Walker, Edward D (2011) Beetle (Coleoptera: Scirtidae) facilitation of larval mosquito growth in tree hole habitats is linked to multitrophic microbial interactions. Microb Ecol 62:690-703
Pelz-Stelinski, K S; Walker, E D; Kaufman, M G (2010) Senescent leaf exudate increases mosquito survival and microbial activity. Ecol Entomol 35:329-340
Chen, Shicheng; Kaufman, Michael G; Bagdasarian, Michael et al. (2010) Development of an efficient expression system for Flavobacterium strains. Gene 458:1-10
Walker, E D; Kaufman, M G; Merritt, R W (2010) An acute trophic cascade among microorganisms in the tree hole ecosystem following removal of omnivorous mosquito larvae. Community Ecol 11:171-178
Kaufman, Michael G; Pelz-Stelinski, Kirsten S; Yee, Donald A et al. (2010) Stable Isotope Analysis Reveals Detrital Resource Base Sources of the Tree Hole Mosquito, Aedes triseriatus. Ecol Entomol 35:586-593
Loss, Scott R; Hamer, Gabriel L; Goldberg, Tony L et al. (2009) Nestling passerines are not important hosts for amplification of West Nile Virus in Chicago, Illinois. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 9:13-8

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