The Goldilocks principle: Finding the balance between water volume and nutrients for ovipositing Culex mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae)

Abstract

Females of container-breeding mosquito species use visual and chemical cues to determine suitable habitats to oviposit their eggs. Female Culex mosquitoes oviposit single egg rafts containing hundreds of eggs on the surface of water in container habitats. In this project, the effects of water volume and nutrient concentration were studied using three semi-controlled field assays to determine the role these parameters play on female Culex mosquito oviposition preference. The results of this study suggest female Culex prefer to oviposit in larger volumes of water and higher concentrations of nutrients separately, but chose intermediate conditions when presented with a combination of these two variables, which follows the Goldilocks principle. This choice may provide their offspring with optimal conditions for development by reducing intraspecific competition, thereby maximizing the biological fitness of the ovipositing Culex females.