LE3 .A278 2016

2016

Smith, Todd

Acadia University

Bachelor of Science

Honours

Biology

Biology

Culex pipiens is the most widespread species of mosquito in the world, accountable for transmitting West Nile Virus (WNV) and other blood-borne pathogens from a variety of hosts. There is little known about the role of ecological factors on fecundity of these mosquitoes, particularly factors characteristic of climate change. The objective of this project is to determine the effects of availability of sucrose, which serves as food between blood meals, and temperature on the fecundity of the mosquito, Culex pipiens. Female mosquitoes were divided into six cohorts, provided with either a 2% or 20% sucrose solution, and incubated at either 22°C, 25°C, or 30°C. Females were supplied with a total of two human blood meals to support two rounds of oviposition, of which the second batch of egg rafts were subjected to fecundity analyses. Ten randomly selected eggs were taken from each egg raft, and fecundity was evaluated based on length, width, and cross-sectional area of each egg, as well as total number of eggs per raft and hatching success of larvae. An increase in temperature and sucrose concentration was hypothesized to increase the number of eggs per raft, size of individual eggs, and hatching success. Results revealed a significant increase in the mean number of eggs from 22°C to 25°C and 30°C as well as a significant decrease in the mean number of eggs from 25°C to 30°C. However, there was not a significant difference in the mean number of eggs between 2% w/v to 20% w/v sucrose diets. There was a significant decrease in mean egg length comparing 22°C and 25°C to 30°C, but not a significance in mean width or cross-sectional area. Lastly, there was a significant decrease in mean egg length, width, and cross-sectional area from a 2% w/v to 20% w/v sucrose diet. Preliminary data on hatching success was inconclusive.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:1477