Impacts of Climate Change Variables on Mosquito Competition and Population Performance

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dc.contributor.advisorLeisnham, Paulen_US
dc.contributor.authorSmith, Cassandra Dionneen_US
dc.contributor.departmentEnvironmental Science and Technologyen_US
dc.contributor.publisherDigital Repository at the University of Marylanden_US
dc.contributor.publisherUniversity of Maryland (College Park, Md.)en_US
dc.date.accessioned2012-02-17T07:08:52Z
dc.date.available2012-02-17T07:08:52Z
dc.date.issued2011en_US
dc.description.abstractRising CO<sub>2</sub> concentrations and the resulting shifts in hydrology can have direct and indirect impacts on organisms and communities. The system studied was aquatic container habitats, where mosquito larvae often compete for food resources. I hypothesized that elevated atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> concentrations (Chapter 2) and extreme precipitation regimes (Chapter 3) would alter leaf chemistry and competition between two locally competing mosquito species, <italic>Aedes albopictus</italic> and <italic>Aedes triseriatus</italic> in laboratory microcosm experiments. In Chapter 2, tannin concentration was higher in leaves grown under elevated CO<sub>2</sub> conditions than ambient, but competition was not affected. A two-fold increase was observed in leaf biomass in the elevated CO<sub>2</sub> chamber, and increasing leaf litter to a container system could increase toxicity to mosquito larvae. In Chapter 3, simulated drought conditions decreased leaf decay rate and increased tannin concentrations compared to continuously wet and wet-dry leaves, and amplified the competitive effects of <italic>Ae. albopictus</italic> on <italic>Ae. triseriatus</italic>.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/12373
dc.subject.pqcontrolledClimate changeen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledAedesen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledcompetitionen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledelevated CO2en_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledhydrologyen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledlitter qualityen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledtannic aciden_US
dc.titleImpacts of Climate Change Variables on Mosquito Competition and Population Performanceen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

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