Community composition is influenced by multiple factors including climate, resource availability, and disturbance regime. Large scale disturbances, such as hurricanes, allow for the study of community response to an altered ecosystem. Additionally, elevational studies provide an opportunity to asses how communities change over time and across climatic gradients, potentially yielding information about future species distributions in the context of climate change. Understanding the mosquito community’s response to a disturbance is particularly important given their role as vectors of disease. Moreover, the high incidence of hurricanes, tsunamis, and earthquakes in tropical areas where arboviruses pose the largest threat are of major concern. We surveyed mosquitoes at five elevations in El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico during the summer of 2017. Six containers and six plastic cups lined with oviposition paper were set out at each elevation for one to two weeks, collected, and the eggs and larvae were reared to adults in a laboratory setting. Hurricane Maria, a category 5 storm, hit the island in September 2017. The same sampling procedure was conducted in January 2018 and will be continued at regular intervals during 2018. Specimens were identified, and elevations were analyzed for abundance, species richness, and diversity.
Results/Conclusions
During the 2017 sampling period, 964 mosquitoes were collected representing six species. Elevation was negatively correlated with the Shannon-Wiener diversity index pre-disturbance (R²=0.950, p=0.005). However, no relationship was found between abundance and elevation or species richness and elevation. Abundance of Culex quinquefasciatus decreased with increasing elevation (R²=0.860, p=0.023). No mosquitoes colonized containers during the January 2018 sampling period, which could indicate post-disturbance effects, a seasonal change in composition, or other factors. When drawing comparisons between elevational and climatic studies, lower elevations are paired with warmer climatic conditions. Our data indicates diversity of mosquitoes could increase in areas that are warming. In addition, abundance of C. quinquefasciatus, a major vector of West Nile virus, could increase in the same areas. Further studies are needed to draw conclusions about disturbance effects on mosquito communities in Puerto Rico.