Previous work on Aedes albopictus hatch rates indicates that these container breeding mosquitoes may show phenotypic plasticity in response to the frequency of hatch stimulation. Based on those results, we hypothesized that Ochlerotatus triseriatus eggs would show a similar response, and that the degree of response would vary based on the natural frequency of rainfall that the eggs are subjected. O. triseriatus eggs were collected from seven sites in northeastern USA, and subjected to a high or low frequency of hatch stimulation. These sites varied in the natural frequency of rainfall. Eggs from these populations were subjected to one of two frequencies of hatch stimulation: a high frequency once every 3 days or a low frequency once every 7 days. A preliminary analysis indicates that there is a significant influence on the hatch response of both the site and the frequency treatment. Some of the populations exhibit a plastic response to the stimulation frequency, and it may relate to site-specific climate history.
Species 1: Diptera Culicidae Ochlerotatus triseriatus (Eastern Treehole Mosquito)
Keywords: phenotypic plasticity, hatch response
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