Colonization patterns and life-history dynamics of Culex mosquitoes in artificial ponds of different character

Abstract

The relationship between the biology and habitat of larval mosquitoes was studied in a series of artificial ponds of differing characteristics established across a terrestrial vegetation gradient from open fields to deep woods. The ponds were uniformly colonized by two widespread species of Culex, both characteristic of small bodies of water, including artificial, "container" habitats. First-instar larvae of Culex restuans were found within 2 days of filling the ponds with water and four or five generations were produced from May until the end of September. One very long generation occurred in July, which corresponded to maximum larval densities. Overall, there was a strong relationship between larval development time of C. restuans and larval density. A few larvae of Culex pipiens pipiens occurred sporadically throughout the summer, but numbers did not increase until C. restuans populations began to wane in late July. Thereafter two, or possibly three, generations were produced into the autumn. The patterns of colonization, synchrony of life history, and growth of these two species were remarkably consistent amongst the ponds, despite considerable variation in both their physical and biological environments (e.g., over the 2 years of study, conductivity ranged from 20 to 890 μS, pH from 6.4 to 10.7, dissolved oxygen from 0 to 13.5 ppm, and water temperature from 5 to 29.8 °C). Density of C. restuans was related to water temperature and pH at the "open" site and to water temperature, dissolved oxygen, percent algae, and percent detritus at the "edge of the woods" site. At the "deep woods" site, larval numbers were related to temperature, pH, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen. At both the edge and deep wood sites, larval development time of C. restuans increased with mean water temperature to 20 °C. Above this temperature, larval development time tended to decrease.