Many studies have shown that Aedes albopictus has a competitive advantage over Aedes species from the Americas, notably when resources are limiting. However, despite co-occurrence in man-made containers, no studies have investigated competition between Ae. albopictus and Culex pipiens. We conducted a laboratory experiment evaluating competitive abilities of Ae. albopictus and Cx. p. pipiens, testing the prediction that Ae. albopictus is the superior competitor to Cx. p. pipiens, as is the case for its interactions with many other container-dwelling mosquitoes. We raised larvae in 160-ml water with a 1:3 mixture of foxtail grass:elm leaf litter. We tested the effects of increased densities of each competitor on survivorship, adult size, and development time of the other species and of conspecifics. Aedes albopictus survivorship declined significantly with conspecific density, but not with density of Cx. p. pipiens, indicating no effect of interspecific competition. In contrast, Cx. p. pipiens survivorship declined significantly with both density of conspecifics and density of Ae. albopictus, indicating significant inter- and intraspecific competition. Impact of inter- and intraspecific competition on development times and sizes exhibited similar patterns. Thus, interspecific competition is highly asymmetrical, verging on amensalism, with Ae. albopictus the superior competitor. In conjunction with the laboratory competition experiment, field surveys of urban tires in East St. Louis, IL indicate that these species commonly co-occur within tires. Because Cx. p. pipiens is believed to be the main enzootic vector of West Nile Virus, this competitive interaction could affect the epidemiology of this disease.
Species 1: Diptera Culicidae Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito)
Species 2: Diptera Culicidae Culex pipiens pipiens (northern house mosquito)
Keywords: vector ecology, aquatic insects
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