Clemson University TigerPrints All Dissertations Dissertations 8-2011 ZOOS AS EXPERIMENT ENVIRONMENTS: BIOLOGY OF LARVAL AND ADULT MOSQUITOES (DIPTERA: CULICIDAE) Holly Tuten Clemson University,
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations Part of the Entomology Commons Recommended Citation Tuten, Holly, "ZOOS AS EXPERIMENT ENVIRONMENTS: BIOLOGY OF LARVAL AND ADULT MOSQUITOES (DIPTERA: CULICIDAE)" (2011). All Dissertations. 769. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/769 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. ZOOS AS EXPERIMENT ENVIRONMENTS: BIOLOGY OF LARVAL AND ADULT MOSQUITOES (DIPTERA: CULICIDAE) A Dissertation Presented to the Graduate School of Clemson University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Entomology by Holly Coleen Tuten August 2011 Accepted by: Peter H. Adler, Committee Chair William C. Bridges, First Reader Kimberly S. Paul, Second Reader William Wills, Third Reader ABSTRACT Zoos are a unique environment where humans and animals are in close daily contact, potential mosquito habitats exist, exotic plants and animals are introduced regularly, and wild animals roam. Studies of mosquito behaviors in zoos will lead to a better understanding, both within and outside zoos, of disease transmission routes and mosquito biology. To investigate whether the unique assemblage of habitats in zoos affects mosquito behavior, I sampled larvae and adults in the Greenville Zoo and the Riverbanks Zoo, South Carolina, USA, from March 2008 to January 2011. The objectives of my study were to investigate mosquito oviposition behavior, blood-host usage, and transmission of the causative agent of dog heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis); document the structure of the mosquito pyloric armature; and provide zoos with suggestions for mosquito control.