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Environmental drivers for Coquillettidia mosquito habitat selection: a method to highlight key field factors

Hydrobiologia volume 652, pages 377–388 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

A crucial component for developing insect management strategies is the understanding of the ecological parameters involved in habitat selection by proliferating species. The key ecological drivers underlying habitat selection in the mosquito Coquillettidia sp. have been investigated in natura. Vegetation analysis suggested that the most suitable habitats were ponds with a high vegetation cover maintaining a high degree of humidity in the air. The optimal biotope for Coquillettidia was associated with the presence of larval host plants such as Typha sp., Phragmites sp., and Juncus sp. Water quality was also found to be a key factor in larval habitat distribution. The presence of larvae was significantly correlated with physico-chemical factors and the optimal water characteristics were neutral pH, low salt concentration, and a relatively low level of suspended particulate matter. A significant correlation was observed between chemical cues and the Coquillettidia distribution pattern. For instance, 2,6-di-tert-butyl-p-cresol was positively correlated to larval habitat, whereas high lauric acid and heptadecanoic acid concentrations may be limiting factors. This study underlines the fact that mosquito habitat selection is driven by a complex process based on discriminating levels of several ecological factors. Multivariate analysis helps understand such processes, which is this case will assist in managing expanding populations of a species that threatens human health.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Rémi Foussadier and Delphine Rey for their assistance. We are grateful to Anne-Laure Tissut for text improvements.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire d’Ecologie Alpine, UMR CNRS 5553, Université Joseph Fourier, BP 53, 38041, Grenoble Cedex 09, France

    Julien Sérandour, Wilfried Thuiller, Patrick Ravanel & Muriel Raveton

  2. Laboratoire de Chimie et Biologie des Métaux, UMR 5249 UJF/CEA/CNRS, Institut de Recherches et Technologies en Sciences du Vivant, CEA-Grenoble, 17 rue des Martyrs, 38054, Grenoble Cedex 9, France

    John Willison

  3. Laboratoire GEOPHEN, UMR CNRS 6554, Université de Caen-Basse-Normandie, BP 8156, 14032, Caen Cedex, France

    Guy Lempérière

Authors
  1. Julien Sérandour
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  2. John Willison
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  3. Wilfried Thuiller
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  4. Patrick Ravanel
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Correspondence to Muriel Raveton.

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Handling editor: S. A. Halse

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Sérandour, J., Willison, J., Thuiller, W. et al. Environmental drivers for Coquillettidia mosquito habitat selection: a method to highlight key field factors. Hydrobiologia 652, 377–388 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-010-0372-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-010-0372-y

Keywords

  • Habitat selection
  • Water chemistry
  • Environmental factors
  • Proliferating species
  • Coquillettidia

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