Mosquito Biogeography

1. Mosquito Biogeography Picture by Karina By Bethany Shedrick and Karina Hernandez

2. Introduction Wherever mosquitoes live it is vital that their environment includes all their necessities to living. Mosquitoes are spread throughout nations with humid weather, standing water, and available food. Some mosquitoes choose to fly away from their original home to find a new location better suited for their requirements. Ocasionally they’ll spread viruses along the way. Needless to say, mosquitoes can be found in different countries all over the world. Picture by Karina

3. Mosquitoes & Weather • Island countries have more mosquito species than mainland counties due to humidity • Heat is essential • Attracted to humid weather • Typically become very active during warm weather • They take the opportunity searching for blood and laying their eggs in the heat •  Things that exude heat attract them • When it becomes cold out, Mosquitoes go into hiding • Development of mosquitoes can only happen when it is warm Picture by Karina

4. Mosquitoes & Water • Locations with wetlands are necessary • Standing water is needed in order to complete their life cycle • Quality ranges from melted snow, to sewer water • Eggs are laid on the surface of standing water • Flowing water is problematic for the eggs • Shallow water is the most convenient Picture by Karina

5. Mosquito Food • Food must be accessible for mosquitoes wherever they live • All mosquitoes eat plant materials such as nectar • Female mosquitoes drink blood to provide iron for their eggs • Some mosquitoes prefer animal blood to humans • Larva eats algae and other small organisms • Long beaks are used to suck up plant sap and fruit juices

6. Mosquito Migration • Sometimes mosquitoes migrate to various sites • After birth, mosquitoes usually travel no further than a mile or two away • Some mosquitoes follow the wind, and end up hundreds of miles away • Ocasionally humans transfer mosquitoes to different countries

7. Worldwide Mosquito Viruses Mosquito-borne diseases can be spread internationally. Some of the most dominant diseases are: Malaria West Nile Virus Dengue Fever Yellow Fever Chikungunya

8. Mosquitoes in Brazil • One of the highest quantities of different mosquito species • 447 mosquito species total • 148 endemic species • 394 types of mosquitoes • Highest amount of taxonomic output • There has been over 55,000 cases of dengue • Mosquitoes like the tropical and humid climate Picture by Karina

9. Mosquitoes in Malaysia • Some of the most total mosquito species • High taxonomic output • 415 total mosquito species • 75 endemic species • 306 types of mosquitoes • In 2011, 6,000 genetically modified mosquitoes were released in Malaysia • The genetically modified mosquitoes were released in an effort to bring down rates of dengue fever Picture by Karina

10. Sources • http://www.earthgauge.net/wp-content/CF_Mosquitoes.pdf • http://www.mosquitocatalog.org/files/pdfs/MQ0287.pdf • http://articles.cnn.com/2008-04-03/health/brazil.dengue_1_dengue-hemorrhagic-fever-aedes-aegypti-mosquito-hospital-doors?_s=PM:HEALTH • http://www.mosquitoes.org/LifeCycle.html • http://insects.about.com/od/flies/f/wintermosquito.htm • http://www.caprince.com/turtle/Documents/mos3.pdf • http://www.google.com/imgres?q=world+map&um=1&hl=en&rlz=1C1MOWC_enUS426&biw=1366&bih=624&tbm=isch&tbnid=HTMH0ujD3dIu8M:&imgrefurl=http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/world.html&docid=VFGpKGnAqcI8eM&w=1572&h=864&ei=x0t5TraNO8vLsQLEw5W_Aw&zoom=1 • http://www.ponddoc.com/WhatsUpDoc/WildLife/BuzzMosquitoes.htm • http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2010/04/anti-mosquito_foods.php • http://www.floridiannature.com/flyinginsects.htm • http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1476-072X-9-11.pdf • http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs100/en/ • http://www.xomba.com/beware_mosquitoborne_diseases_malaria_chikungunya_and_dengue_fever • http://www.mosquitoworld.net/mosquitodiseases.php