Habitat Type and Seasonal Variation as Drivers of Mosquito Proliferation in Urban Aquatic Microhabitats

Carruth, S. G.; Michael, J. C.; Vasquez, C.; Mutebi, J.-P.; Litvinova, M.; Wilke, A. B. B.

doi:10.64898/2026.07.15.738763

Home/Archive/bioRxiv

bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.07.15.738763

Habitat Type and Seasonal Variation as Drivers of Mosquito Proliferation in Urban Aquatic Microhabitats

Carruth, S. G.·Michael, J. C.·Vasquez, C.·Mutebi, J.-P.·Litvinova, M.·Wilke, A. B. B.

View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Aedes aegypti is the primary vector species for dengue, Zika, and chikungunya viruses, and is adapted to thrive in urban environments. Their proximity to human populations and the adverse health outcomes associated with arboviral infections make mosquito control essential for reducing the risk of outbreaks and disease spread. Source reduction and larvicide applications are central components of mosquito control because they reduce adult mosquito emergence by targeting immature life stages. Therefore, our objective was to identify urban aquatic habitats used by Ae. aegypti and assess temporal variation in their contribution to immature mosquito production. To distinguish habitat use from habitat productivity, we considered larval presence as an indicator of oviposition or early-stage survival and pupal presence as evidence that a habitat supported development through most of the immature life cycle. Between July 2018 and October 2019, 2,482 inspections in Miami-Dade County, Florida, identified 2,756 aquatic habitats from which 19,466 Ae. aegypti larvae and 3,648 pupae were collected. Unique temporal trends were observed for both larval and pupal presence and abundance at county and habitat resolutions. County-level trends showed the highest larval and pupal production during Summer and the lowest pupal production during Winter. However, temporal patterns differed across habitats, supporting a context-dependent interpretation of habitat conduciveness, in which the same habitat type may support different levels of immature mosquito production depending on local environmental conditions. Our results show that habitats with frequent larval occurrence did not consistently have high pupal presence, indicating that larval presence does not necessarily reflect habitat productivity. Control strategies that prioritize habitats repeatedly associated with pupal production by season may improve year-round mosquito control, outbreak preparedness, and resource allocation.

Explore related subjects

ecology Preprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

Carruth, S. G., Michael, J. C., Vasquez, C., Mutebi, J.-P., Litvinova, M., Wilke, A. B. B.. 2026-07-16. Habitat Type and Seasonal Variation as Drivers of Mosquito Proliferation in Urban Aquatic Microhabitats. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.15.738763

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

Species-composition distributions under competition, ecological drift and immigration

Understanding how species interactions, ecological drift, and immigration jointly shape community composition is a central goal of community ecology. These processes determine not only average community composition, but also how often different community states occur. Here, we ask how competition reshapes the neutral distribution of community composition generated by drift and immigration. We analyze a stochastic two-species competition model with immigration and derive the stationary distribution of relative species composition near neutrality. The stationary distribution shows when communities are usually balanced and when they are instead dominated by one species. Species dominance can become common even when the corresponding deterministic model predicts stable coexistence, particularly in smaller communities. Balanced and dominance states can also occur together, producing a trimodal distribution. Competitive asymmetry further biases the distribution toward the competitively favored species. Thus, the interplay between competition, ecological drift, and immigration determines not only how much community composition varies, but also which community states are most likely to be observed. Our results provide an analytical bridge between neutral and competition theory and a framework for interpreting variation in community composition.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2026

Floristic composition, phenology, and conservation value of four peat bogs in Bucovina, with the presence of Betula nana

This paper presents a comparative analysis of the floristic composition and site characteristics of four peat bogs in Bucovina, Romania: Poiana Stampei, Romanesti, Saru Dornei, and Gaina-Lucina. The research was based on phytosociological releves on 25 msq plots and direct field phenological observations, on six field visits from May to August 2026. Vegetation was characterised using the Braun Blanquet method, and floristic similarity between sites was assessed with the Sorensen and Bray Curtis indices. All four plots shared a common core of taxa characteristic of peatland vegetation: Sphagnum spp., Carex rostrata, Drosera rotundifolia, Eriophorum vaginatum, and Vaccinium species. Species richness was 13 taxa at Poiana Stampei, Romanesti, and Saru Dornei, and 12 at Gaina-Lucina. Romanesti and Saru Dornei showed the highest floristic similarity (descriptive values, not statistically tested, given a single releve per site), while Gaina-Lucina differed most markedly, not through species richness, which was similar across sites, but through species identity and through the presence of Betula nana, a glacial relict absent from the other sites. The results provide a descriptive basis for future research on the floristic composition and conservation of these habitats.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2026

Long-Term Surveillance Reveals Establishment of Aedes albopictus in Eastern Nebraska, USA

Aedes albopictus (Skuse), the Asian tiger mosquito, is a highly competent arboviral vector whose range has expanded substantially across the United States over the past four decades. Despite predictive models placing Nebraska within the species' climatically suitable range, its establishment status in the state has remained poorly characterized. Here, we report results from a nine-year mosquito surveillance program (2017-2025) conducted across 44 Nebraska counties in collaboration with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Ae. albopictus was detected in five counties, with sustained, annually increasing populations documented in Richardson, Douglas, and Lancaster counties. Richardson County recorded continuous detections during 2017-2025, with proportional representation rising to 60.50% of collected mosquitoes by 2025. In Douglas and Lancaster counties, temporal advancement of first seasonal detection in 2024 and 2025 provide evidence consistent with successful overwintering rather than annual reintroduction. A cumulative degree-day model predicted adult emergence in mid-May across all county-year combinations, consistently preceding trap deployment by two to seven weeks and revealing a systematic early-season surveillance gap. Generalized linear mixed-effects models indicated that trap-level detection persistence, rather than urban location, was the primary predictor of yearly Ae. albopictus positivity, suggesting that current invasion dynamics are driven by focal source populations. These findings provide strong evidence for the establishment of Ae. albopictus in eastern Nebraska and highlight the need for earlier seasonal surveillance and standardized criteria to define establishment in northward-expanding vector populations.

ecology↗