Larval competition between mosquitoes Aedes japonicus and A. triseriatus

The Asian rock pool mosquito Aedes japonicus from Japan invaded container habitats in the United States approximately ten years ago. Subsequently, its geographic range has expanded to include the east coast, Midwest, and distinct locations in Western United States. Treehole mosquito Aedes triseriatus is native to eastern North America and occupy similar container habitats as A. japonicus. A laboratory experiment evaluated larval interactions between and within these two species. Both intraspecific and interspecific competition reduced mosquito survival, growth, and population performance for both species. Additional nutrient resources enhanced mosquito performance, suggesting that resource competition, in part, determines these larval interactions. Distinct differences between intra- and interspecific conditions were not observed, suggesting these two mosquitoes may be nearly ecological equivalents as larvae under these experimental conditions. Crowded larval conditions and small adult female mosquitoes were associated with reduced longevity, suggesting larval competition has lasting effects on adult mosquito fitness as well as vector potential for both species. Thus, ecological processes in the larval stages are related to parameters important to models of vector-borne disease transmission. Further study of these two mosquitoes should explore how environmental variation may alter interactions among larval stages.