Environment dominates host factors in shaping mosquito gut microbiota

Gut microbial diversity is influenced by a combination of host and environmental factors, including diet. Mosquito larvae obtain their gut bacterial community from their aquatic environment. We recently determined that several species of laboratory-reared mosquitoes rely on bacteria acquired in the first instar for normal development. In contrast, little is known about species x environment interactions in shaping the gut microbial community of mosquitoes, or how bacterial richness in the aquatic environment of larval stage mosquitoes affects growth, development and reproduction. Using high-throughput sequencing, we characterized the microbiota of Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus, and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes from both the laboratory and field. Our results highlight a dominant role for diet in shaping gut bacterial communities in mosquitoes, and suggest a fundamental dependence by all mosquitoes on their gut microbiota for normal development into adults.