Relationship between Mosquito Species Distribution and Human Population Density

Abstract: Mosquitoes are known to exhibit different feeding behaviors, with some preferring to feed on mammals, others on birds, and so on. Many of them vector life-threatening diseases and pose a threat to public health and safety. When coupled together, mosquitoes that prefer to be around people could be more likely to transmit disease to those individuals. If it is possible to predict and map the potential mosquito species and vectors that are most closely associated with people, it would serve as an invaluable tool in combating disease. In an effort to see if this was possible, an experiment was done by surveying the mosquito larvae around College Station, TX in areas with varying population densities. The mosquitoes were identified down to the species taxonomic level and plotted against the population map of Brazos County. Mosquito species varied widely by location, with different feeding preferences per each area surveyed. When results were evaluated for any possible trends, it was found that areas with high populations did not show a preference for any one species or genus and did not yield species that preferred to feed on people. Key Words:relationship, mosquito, distribution, populatio