GROWING UP FAST:

THE INS AND OUTS OF WHY AEDES JAPONICUS MAY EXPLOIT SOME LARVAL HABITATS BETTER THAN AEDES TRISERIATUS

Matthew J. Lundquist, Edward D. Walker, and Michael G. KaufmanMichigan State University

Invasive rock pool mosquito from Eastern Asia

First detected in the eastern US in 1998 and has since expanded to southern, midwestern, and some western states

Native tree hole-dwelling species to the US

It is the primary vector of La Crosse Encephalitis and has been widely studied

Aedes japonicus Aedes triseriatus

Competition between Ae. Japonicus and other Mosquito Species

Increased Growth Rate in Ae. Japonicus We have found that Ae. japonicus develops

to adult much sooner than Ae. triseriatus. The increased growth,

however, is not a resultof competition betweenthe two species

Final Weight

Both Ae. japonicus and Ae. triseriatus grow to the same size as adults.

How Ae. japonicus

accelerates the process is what we are interested in studying

Competitive advantages of Ae. japonicus Our hypothesis is that Ae japonicus is able to

better utilize larval food resources and thus has an advantage over Ae. triseriatus.

These food resources include Bacteria Fungi AlgaeAll of which colonize leaf detritus

Larval feeding behavior

Feeding behavior in Ae. japonicus Aedes japonicus

seems to remove more food off of leaves than Ae. triseriatus (Kaufman, unpublished data)

This might help explain how Ae. japonicus can grow faster

Protozoa Removed from Leaves

The Importance of Individual Larvae Most mosquito studies deal with

interactions between a group of larvae BUT little is known about how individual larvae behave intrinsically.

Our Research Our studies will use “nanocosms” to

investigate the following factors on individual larval development time and size at emergence.

Intrinsic growth potential Effect of temperature Effect of food quantity/quality Effect of dissolved nutrients Effect of decaying animal matter

Effect of Temperature and Food Quantity on Aedes triseriatus Previous work has

indicated that female Ae. triseriatus larvae will grow somewhat faster at a higher temperature (Walker, unpublished data) but not at a higher food rations.

We will soon examine this in Ae. japonicus

Other Growth Factors We will be looking at

nitrogen addition to nanocosms.

Field Ae. japonicus actually have lower nitrogen concentrations than Ae. triseriatus (Kaufman, unpublished data).

We believe that Ae. japonicus may be able to better utilize nitrogen.

Nitrogen Concentration of Field Collected Mosquitoes

Significance Understanding the factors that

contribute to mosquito growth.

Increase our knowledge on how invasive and non-invasive species interact in common habitats.

Shed light on how individual larvae interact with their environment.

AcknowledgementsI would like to thank

My advisor: Michael Kaufman

My guidance committee:

Edward WalkerAlexander

ShingletonFred Dyer

Craig Bateman, Brian Lovett, and Amanda Lorenz for help setting up the preliminary studies