How to translate text using browser tools
1 January 2012 Evaluation of a Stable Isotope Method to Mark Naturally-Breeding Larval Mosquitoes for Adult Dispersal Studies
Gabriel L. Hamer, Danielle J. Donovan, Rebecca Hood-Nowotny, Michael G. Kaufman, Tony L. Goldberg, Edward D. Walker
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Understanding mosquito dispersal is critically important for vector-borne disease control and prevention. Mark—release—recapture methods using various marking techniques have made substantial contributions to the study of mosquito biology. However, the ability to mark naturally breeding mosquitoes noninvasively and with life-long retention has remained problematic. Here, we describe a method to mark naturally breeding mosquitoes with stable isotopes. Culex pipiens f. molestus mosquitoes were provisioned as larvae in laboratory experiments with 15N-labeled potassium nitrate and 13C-labeled glucose. Larval enrichment was sufficient to differentiate marked adult mosquitoes from unmarked control mosquitoes and the natural source population from Chicago Illinois, using either δ15N or δ13C. Isotopic retention lasted for at least 55 d for adult male and females mosquitoes. There were no consistent effects of isotopic enrichment on immature mosquito survival or adult mosquito body size. We then applied this marking technique to naturally breeding Culex pipiens mosquitoes in suburban Chicago, IL, and for the first time, report successful isotopic enrichment of mosquitoes in the field. This stable isotope marking technique will facilitate studies of mosquito dispersal.

© 2012 Entomological Society of America
Gabriel L. Hamer, Danielle J. Donovan, Rebecca Hood-Nowotny, Michael G. Kaufman, Tony L. Goldberg, and Edward D. Walker "Evaluation of a Stable Isotope Method to Mark Naturally-Breeding Larval Mosquitoes for Adult Dispersal Studies," Journal of Medical Entomology 49(1), 61-70, (1 January 2012). https://doi.org/10.1603/ME11076
Received: 10 April 2011; Accepted: 1 October 2011; Published: 1 January 2012
JOURNAL ARTICLE
10 PAGES

This article is only available to subscribers.
It is not available for individual sale.
+ SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

KEYWORDS
Culex mosquito
mark—capture
mosquito dispersal
stable isotope
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top