Reiskind Michael H, Wilson Mark L
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
J Med Entomol. 2004 Mar;41(2):179-86. doi: 10.1603/0022-2585-41.2.179.
Oviposition is a critical stage in the mosquito lifecycle, and may determine population levels, distribution, biting behavior, and pathogen transmission. Knowledge of the oviposition behavior of Culex restuans Theobald has become particularly important with the emergence of West Nile virus (WNV) in North America. Laboratory and field studies have examined some factors that contribute to oviposition choice in Culex spp., but few studies have investigated responses to cues of future competition and breeding habitat availability in the field. We hypothesized that female Cx. restuans mosquitoes avoid laying eggs in habitats containing cues of larval competition, and that increased availability of larval habitat decreases egg density. To test these hypotheses, a series of field experiments were conducted in southeastern Michigan during summer 2002. We found that female mosquitoes prefer nutrient-enriched containers and decrease ovipositing in containers with conspecific larvae. In addition, greater habitat abundance decreased egg clutch density per container, although there was considerable aggregation of egg clutches. These results support our hypotheses and have potentially important implications for pathogen transmission by mosquitoes.
产卵是蚊子生命周期中的一个关键阶段，可能决定种群数量、分布、叮咬行为和病原体传播。随着西尼罗河病毒（WNV）在北美的出现，了解致倦库蚊的产卵行为变得尤为重要。实验室和野外研究已经考察了一些影响库蚊属产卵选择的因素，但很少有研究调查野外对未来竞争线索和繁殖栖息地可用性的反应。我们假设致倦库蚊雌蚊会避免在含有幼虫竞争线索的栖息地产卵，并且幼虫栖息地可用性的增加会降低卵密度。为了验证这些假设，2002年夏天在密歇根州东南部进行了一系列野外实验。我们发现雌蚊更喜欢营养丰富的容器，并减少在有同种幼虫的容器中产卵。此外，尽管卵块有相当程度的聚集，但栖息地数量的增加降低了每个容器中的卵块密度。这些结果支持了我们的假设，并且对蚊子传播病原体可能具有重要意义。
