TY - JOUR
T1 - The abundance and larval performance of Aedes phoeniciae in supralittoral rock-pools
AU - Rosenfeld, Sahar
AU - Blaustein, Leon
AU - Kneitel, Jamie
AU - Duchet, Claire
AU - Horwitz, Rael
AU - Rybak, Olga
AU - Polevikov, Antonina
AU - Rahav, Eyal
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
PY - 2019/12/1
Y1 - 2019/12/1
N2 - The mosquito Aedes phoeniciae is a potential disease vector that inhabits the coastal rock-pools of the Southeastern Mediterranean Sea. Our year-long study examined the abundance and distribution of Ae. phoeniciae in 49 rock-pools along HaBonim Beach Nature Reserve (Israeli coast) on a monthly basis (September 2016 to August 2017). Additionally, the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the rock-pools were measured. Our results showed a correlation between the abundance of Ae. phoeniciae and abiotic (salinity, pool volume, and pH) and biotic (bacterial, micro-phytoplankton, and chironomid abundance) characteristics. A complementary experiment was conducted to examine the role of bacteria and phytoplankton on Ae. phoeniciae larval performance by rearing larvae in seawater (SW) or seawater without microbes (FSW, 0.2-µm). Ae. phoeniciae grown in SW exhibited a high survivorship rate (~ 77%), while lower survivorship rate was measured in the FSW treatments (~ 45%). Furthermore, a higher number of adult females were found in the SW compared to FSW treatments (35 and 11, respectively), while the number of male adults remained similar. Our results suggest that Ae. phoeniciae larvae rely on the water characteristics and especially on the microbial communities that habitat the rock-pools. These results may enable improved mosquito control of Ae. phoeniciae along the Southeastern Mediterranean Sea.
AB - The mosquito Aedes phoeniciae is a potential disease vector that inhabits the coastal rock-pools of the Southeastern Mediterranean Sea. Our year-long study examined the abundance and distribution of Ae. phoeniciae in 49 rock-pools along HaBonim Beach Nature Reserve (Israeli coast) on a monthly basis (September 2016 to August 2017). Additionally, the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the rock-pools were measured. Our results showed a correlation between the abundance of Ae. phoeniciae and abiotic (salinity, pool volume, and pH) and biotic (bacterial, micro-phytoplankton, and chironomid abundance) characteristics. A complementary experiment was conducted to examine the role of bacteria and phytoplankton on Ae. phoeniciae larval performance by rearing larvae in seawater (SW) or seawater without microbes (FSW, 0.2-µm). Ae. phoeniciae grown in SW exhibited a high survivorship rate (~ 77%), while lower survivorship rate was measured in the FSW treatments (~ 45%). Furthermore, a higher number of adult females were found in the SW compared to FSW treatments (35 and 11, respectively), while the number of male adults remained similar. Our results suggest that Ae. phoeniciae larvae rely on the water characteristics and especially on the microbial communities that habitat the rock-pools. These results may enable improved mosquito control of Ae. phoeniciae along the Southeastern Mediterranean Sea.
KW - Aedes mariae complex
KW - Coastal rock-pools
KW - Israeli coast
KW - Supralittoral rock-pools
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85073938809
U2 - 10.1007/s10750-019-04063-6
DO - 10.1007/s10750-019-04063-6
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85073938809
SN - 0018-8158
VL - 846
SP - 181
EP - 192
JO - Hydrobiologia
JF - Hydrobiologia
IS - 1
ER -