Mosquito BiogeographyBy Bethany Shedrick and Karina Hernandez
Picture by Karina
IntroductionWherever 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
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
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
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
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
Worldwide Mosquito VirusesMosquito-borne diseases can be spread internationally.
Some of the most dominant diseases are: Malaria
West Nile Virus Dengue Fever Yellow Fever Chikungunya
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
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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
Sources http://www.earthgauge.net/wp-content/CF_Mosquitoes.pdf
http://www.mosquitocatalog.org/files/pdfs/MQ0287.pdfhttp://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