Kirsten S. Pelz-Stelinski, pelzkirs@msu.edu1, Edward Walker, walker@msu.edu2, and Michael G. Kaufman, kaufma15@msu.edu1. (1) Michigan State University, Entomology, 6170 Biomedical and Physical Sciences, East Lansing, MI, (2) Michigan State University, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, 6169 Biomedical and Physical Sciences, E. Lansing, MI
Under conditions of high larval density, competition for food resources in container habitats of larval mosquitoes is intense and inherently changes the availability of such resources. These changes will impact larval success, as well as intra- and interspecific competitive interactions. Several studies have shown that the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is a superior competitor to the Eastern tree hole mosquito, Ochlerotatus triseriatus, in the larval stage. Larvae of these mosquitoes feed primarily by grazing on the microbial biofilm associated with the container wall and detrital leaf surfaces or filtering microorganisms in the water column. In microcosms simulating natural mosquito habitats, we show that at high interspecific densities, there are measurable changes in the leaf and water column-associated microbial community structure, abundance and productivity. These changes, detected by principle component analysis of terminal restriction fragment polymorphism (t-RFLP) interrogation of the native bacterial and fungal communities, suggest that “bottom-up” mechanisms influence competitive outcomes between Ae. albopictus and Oc. triseriatus. Taken together, these results suggest that these species exhibit a differential ability to survive at low microbial-resource levels and/or digest the microorganisms available.
Species 1: Diptera Culicidae
Ochlerotatus triseriatus (eastern tree hole mosquito)
Species 2: Diptera Culicidae
Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito)