How Diverse Detrital Environments Influence Nutrient Stoichiometry between Males and Females of the Co-Occurring Container Mosquitoes Aedes albopictus, Ae. aegypti, and Culex quinquefasciatus

Abstract

Allocation patterns of carbon and nitrogen in animals are influenced by food quality and quantity, as well as by inherent metabolic and physiological constraints within organisms. Whole body stoichiometry also may vary between the sexes who differ in development rates and reproductive allocation patterns. In aquatic containers, such as tree holes and tires, detrital inputs, which vary in amounts of carbon and nitrogen, form the basis of the mosquito-dominated food web. Differences in development times and mass between male and female mosquitoes may be the result of different reproductive constraints, which could also influence patterns of nutrient allocation. We examined development time, survival, and adult mass for males and females of three co-occurring species, Aedes albopictus, Ae. aegypti, and Culex quinquefasciatus, across environments with different ratios of animal and leaf detritus. We quantified the contribution of detritus to biomass using stable isotope analysis and measured tissue carbon and nitrogen concentrations among species and between the sexes. Development times were shorter and adults were heavier for Aedes in animal versus leaf-only environments, whereas Culex development times were invariant across detritus types. Aedes displayed similar survival across detritus types whereas C. quinquefasciatus showed decreased survival with increasing leaf detritus. All species had lower values of 15N and 13C in leaf-only detritus compared to animal, however, Aedes generally had lower tissue nitrogen compared to C. quinquefasciatus. There were no differences in the C:N ratio between male and female Aedes, however, Aedes were different than C. quinquefasciatus adults, with male C. quinquefasciatus significantly higher than females. Culex quinquefasciatus was homeostatic across detrital environments. These results allow us to hypothesize an underlying stoichiometric explanation for the variation in performance of different container species under similar detrital environments, and if supported may assist in explaining the production of vector populations in nature.

What Can Larval Ecology Tell Us About the Success ofAedes albopictus(Diptera: Culicidae) Within the United States?: Table 1.

“…albopictus containers is documented (Murrell et al 2011); however, these data have not been linked to the nutrient composition of adults, nor have any studies linked variation in stoichiometry to components of adult success (e.g., longevity) or the ability to transmit disease (e.g., vector competence). As elements are the basis for both structural components (e.g., chitin) and biological processes (e.g., metabolism), these seem (Yee et al 2015b) under all detritus ratios tested. This suggests that although Ae.…”

“…The data generally support higher overall performance for Ae. albopictus in animal-versus plant-derived diets (Daugherty et al 2000, Yee et al 2007a, Murrell and Juliano 2008, Winters and Yee 2012, Bara et al 2014, Yee et al 2015b); however, Barrera (1996) found that Ae. albopictus survived longer when grown on leaves versus an artificial diet of bovine liver powder and yeast.…”

“…After allochthonous detritus enters a container, it breaks down via the action of microorganisms and is transformed into new microorganism cells and waste products, which are then ingested by foraging larvae. Thus, an analysis of mosquito elemental composition and variation (i.e., stoichiometry) can inform not only of differences among species, but also where those elements come from (Kaufman et al 2010, Winters and Yee 2012, Yee et al 2015b. Besides stoichiometry, which deals specifically with nutrient composition and allocation patterns of elements like carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen, stable isotopes, which use the rarer isotopic forms of common biological elements to assess diet and tropic position, also have the potential to lead to a deeper understanding of insect and mosquito ecology (Hood-Nowotny and Knols 2007).…”

“…Stable isotopes can be used for both understanding natural variation in isotopes and in enrichment studies to assess movement of elements among resources and consumers (Hood-Nowotny and Knols 2007). Both stoichiometry and stable isotope analyses of mosquitoes are only now becoming an area of interest, and at present, there are a limited number of studies using either approach (Kaufman et al 2010, Hood-Nowotny 2012, Winters and Yee 2012, Gilbreadth 2013, Young et al 2014, Yee et al 2015b, with only two published studies involving Ae. albopictus (Winters andYee 2012, Yee et al 2015b).…”

Linking nutrient stoichiometry to Zika virus transmission in a mosquito

“…Nutrition is an early developmental factor known to modulate life history traits. It is an important factor regarding host-pathogen interactions; as host nutrition influences multiple measures of adult performance, immune response, and the resources necessary for pathogen replication (Lee et al 2006, 2008; Telang et al 2012, Yee et al 2015). Larval nutritional stress can reduce the immune response of mosquitoes allowing for increased pathogen infection (Sindbis virus; Muturi et al 2011) or reduce resources for pathogen development (malaria; Vantaux et al 2016ab).…”