Individual to population-level consequences of photoperiod in Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)

Despite its importance as a seasonal cue, relatively few studies have investigated the effects of photoperiod in mosquito ecology. The yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, has populations around the world that experience seasonal fluctuations in photoperiod and can remain active during periods of shorter day lengths.  In a series of two laboratory experiments, we evaluated the effects of various photoperiod treatments on Ae. aegypti life history traits, blood feeding behavior, and population growth and survival.   Larvae were reared in replicates of 400 ml beakers placed in 1 or 3 environmental chambers.  Each chamber represented one of the following photoperiod treatments: 1) short day (10:14 L:D), 2) control (12:12 L:D), and 3) long day (14:10 L:D).   There was no effect of photoperiod on the proportion survival to adulthood or population growth.  There was an effect of photoperiod on life history traits of male and female Ae. aegypti, with little intersexual differences detected in their responses to photoperiod.  Photoperiod affected adult female blood feeding activity and longevity, with shorter day lengths producing females that were more likely to take a blood meal and lived longer as adults compared to other treatments. This study provides information that can lead to a better understanding to the seasonal dynamics of Ae. aegypti in nature.