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