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Plastoglobule Lipid Droplet Isolation from Plant Leaf Tissue and Cyanobacteria
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Leaf inputs from invasive and native plants drive differential mosquito abundances
Ross N Cuthbert1, Tatenda Dalu2, Thendo Mutshekwa2
1School of Biological Sciences, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa.
The Science of the Total Environment
|July 7, 2019
Summary
Invasive plants like tickberry and guava can increase mosquito populations in aquatic habitats. Understanding plant identity is key to managing mosquito breeding and potential disease spread.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Environmental Science
- Entomology
Background:
- Invasive alien species can unpredictably impact multiple habitats and taxa.
- Invasive plants significantly alter aquatic environments and invertebrate communities, including mosquitoes.
- Terrestrial plant inputs into aquatic ecosystems can influence mosquito larval development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of different terrestrial plant leaf litter on larval mosquito colonization.
- To compare the effects of invasive (Lantana camara, Psidium guajava) and native (Ficus sycomorus, Terminalia sericea) plant species on mosquito abundance.
Main Methods:
- Larval mosquito colonization assays were conducted in aquatic containers.
- Containers were treated with leaf litter from four distinct terrestrial plant species.
- Leaf-free containers served as controls to assess baseline mosquito presence.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in larval mosquito abundances were observed across leaf treatments.
- No mosquitoes colonized leaf-free control containers.
- Leaf litter from invasive L. camara, invasive P. guajava, and native F. sycomorus significantly increased mosquito abundances compared to native T. sericea.
Conclusions:
- Plant identity is a critical factor influencing larval mosquito proliferation in aquatic habitats.
- Changes in terrestrial plant communities due to invasions may lead to elevated mosquito populations.
- Increased mosquito abundances have potential implications for the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases.
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