Correlation between mosquito larval density and their habitat physicochemical characteristics in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran

• Published in: PLoS neglected tropical diseases 2017-08, Vol.11 (8), p.e0005835-e0005835
• Main Authors: Nikookar, Seyed Hassan, Fazeli-Dinan, Mahmoud, Azari-Hamidian, Shahyad, Mousavinasab, Seyed Nouraddin, Aarabi, Mohsen, Ziapour, Seyyed Payman, Esfandyari, Yahya, Enayati, Ahmadali
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abundance; Acidity; Alkalinity; Analysis; Animals; Aquatic insects; Arthropods; Biology and Life Sciences; Breeding; Breeding sites; Calcium carbonate; Chloride; Chlorides; Coastal inlets; College professors; Correlation; Correlation analysis; Correlation coefficient; Correlation coefficients; Culicidae - classification; Culicidae - growth & development; Data analysis; Data processing; Density; Developmental stages; Dominant species; Ecology; Ecology and Environmental Sciences; Ecosystem; Electric properties; Electrical conductivity; Electrical resistivity; Environmental factors; Epidemiology; Fauna; Habitats; Hardness; Health sciences; Interspecific; Iran; Larva - growth & development; Larvae; Measurement methods; Medicine and Health Sciences; Mosquito control; Mosquitoes; pH effects; Phosphates; Physical Sciences; Physicochemical processes; Physicochemical properties; Public health; Regression Analysis; Rivers; Software; Specimen Handling; Statistical tests; Students; Temperature; Tropical diseases; Turbidity; Water; Water analysis; Water hardness; Water sampling; West Nile virus
• ISSN: 1935-2735; 1935-2727; 1935-2735
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005835

Characteristics of mosquito larval habitats are important in determining whether they can survive and successfully complete their developmental stages. Therefore, data on the ecological factors affecting mosquito density and abundance especially the physicochemical properties of water of their breeding sites, can possibly be helpful in implementing larval management programs. Mosquito larvae were collected using a standard 350 ml dipper from fixed habitats including: artificial pool, river edge, creek and etc, in 30 villages of 16 counties from May-December 2014. Water samples were collected during larval collection and temperature (°C), acidity (pH), turbidity (NTU), electrical conductivity (μS/cm), alkalinity (mg/l CaCO3), total hardness (mg/l), nitrate (mg/l), chloride (mg/l), phosphate (mg/l) and sulphate (mg/l) were measured using standard methods. Spearman correlation coefficient, Kruskal-Wallis test of nonparametric analysis, Chi-square (χ2) analysis, regression analysis and C8 interspecific correlation coefficient were used for data analysis. A total of 7,566 mosquito larvae belonging to 15 species representing three genera were collected from fixed larval breeding places. Culex pipiens was the dominant species except in four villages where An. maculipennis s.l. and Cx. torrentium were predominant. There was a significant positive correlation between the density of Cx. pipiens and electrical conductivity, alkalinity, total hardness and chloride, whereas no significant negative correlation was observed between physicochemical factors and larval density. The highest interspecific association of up to 0.596 was observed between An. maculipennis s.l/An. pseudopictus followed by up to 0.435 between An. maculipennis s.l/An. hyrcanus and An. hyrcanus/An. pseudopictus. The correlations observed between physicochemical factors and larval density, can possibly confirm the effect of these parameters on the breeding activities of mosquitoes, and may be indicative of the presence of certain mosquito fauna in a given region.