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Response of Mosquitoes Associated with Estuarine Wetlands to Bushfire in Australia

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Response of Mosquitoes Associated with Estuarine Wetlands to Bushfire in Australia Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association, 37(2):101–105, 2021 Copyright Ó 2021 by The American Mosquito Control Association, Inc. SCIENTIFIC NOTE RESPONSE OF MOSQUITOES ASSOCIATED WITH ESTUARINE WETLANDS TO BUSHFIRE IN AUSTRALIA 1,2 3 3 CAMERON EWART WEBB, RAFFAELE CATANZARITI AND STEVEN HODOSI ABSTRACT. The response of mosquitoes to bushfire is poorly understood. During the 2019–20 summer, many regions of Australia were impacted by devastating bushfires. An area of estuarine and brackish-water wetlands alongside the Georges River, Sydney, New South Wales, was burned in January 2020. Mosquito populations within Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/jamca/article-pdf/37/2/101/2855383/i8756-971x-37-2-101.pdf by guest on 28 September 2021 the area were monitored as part of the local authority’s mosquito management program, providing a unique opportunity to record the response of key mosquitoes of pest and public health concern to bushfire. Ground pools within a tidally influenced swamp oak forest dominated by Casuarina glauca and associated wetlands dominated by Phragmites australis and Bolboschoenus spp. had been identified as suitable habitat for a range of mosquitoes, including Aedes alternans, Ae. vigilax, and Verrallina funerea. Surveys of immature stages of mosquitoes within recently burned habitats inundated by tides demonstrated that mosquito eggs survived the direct and indirect impacts of fire and immature stages successfully completed development as reflected in concomitant changes in adult mosquito populations following the bushfire. This unique observation has implications for mosquito management following bushfire in Australia and internationally. KEY WORDS Aedes alternans, Aedes vigilax, Verrallina funerea, wetlands, wildfire Mosquitoes associated with coastal regions of has been identified from the region that are of pest Australia are of significant pest and public health and public health concern, the dominant species is importance (Webb et al. 2016). Notwithstanding the Ae. vigilax. The productive mosquito habitats are nuisance-biting impacts abundant mosquito popula- tidally influenced salt marshes (dominated by tions have on coastal residential communities and Sarcocornia quinqueflora (Bunge ex Ungen-Stern- recreational activities, the health risks associated berg) A.J. Scott), mangrove forests (dominated by with mosquitoes are of increasing concern for local Avicennia marina L.),andswampoakforests authorities. The most commonly reported mosquito- (dominated by Casuarina glauca Sieber ex Sprengel borne disease in Australia is caused by Ross River and Melaleuca spp.). There are also brackish-water virus and while dozens of mosquito species have and freshwater wetlands dominated by various been implicated in its transmission, one of the key macrophytes (e.g., Juncus spp., Bolboschoenus spp., vectors in coastal regions is considered Aedes vigilax Phragmites australis (Cavanilles) Trinius ex Steudel) (Skuse) (Ryan et al. 2000, Claflin and Webb 2015). in addition to ephemeral ground pools in terrestrial This is an often very abundant mosquito that is a woodlands and water-holding containers and other known nuisance-biting pest and disperses widely water-holding infrastructure associated with residen- from larval habitats (Webb et al. 2016, Claflin and tial areas. In addition to Ae. vigilax, there is a suite of Webb 2017, Webb and Russell 2019). This mosquito other key mosquitoes of pest and public health is typically associated with tidally influenced habi- concern in the local area (Crocker et al. 2017) and tats, most commonly estuarine wetlands including local authorities undertake routine surveillance of salt-marsh and mangrove communities (G´ıslason and mosquito populations and regularly issue warnings Russell 1997), and is a key target of mosquito control regarding mosquito-borne disease risk (Glasgow et programs in coastal regions (Webb and Russell 1999, al. 2018). Russell and Kay 2008). The 2019–20 summer in Australia was marked by The Georges River, which runs along the southern hot and dry conditions that led to catastrophic edge of the Sydney metropolitan region, contains a bushfires (often referred to as wildfire in other combination of estuarine, brackish-water, and fresh- countries) in many parts of southeastern Australia, water habitats and while a suite of mosquito species with .5 million ha burned and significant impacts on the local environment and wildlife (Dickman and McDonald 2020). On January 5, 2020, bushfire swept 1 Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW through a section of wetlands, swamp oak forest, and 2006, Australia. Eucalypt woodland alongside the Georges River in 2 Medical Entomology, NSW Health Pathology, West- the suburbs of Hammondville and Voyager Point, mead Hospital, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia. New South Wales. An estimated 60 ha was burned, 3 Liverpool City Council, Locked Bag 7064, Liverpool including wetland areas where mosquito monitoring BC, NSW 1871, Australia. sites had already been established in association with 101 102 JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MOSQUITO CONTROL ASSOCIATION VOL. 37, NO.2 a mosquito control program undertaken by a local government authority (Liverpool City Council 2019). Mosquito monitoring commenced in early De- cember 2019 with approximately weekly adult mosquito trapping undertaken using carbon diox- ide–baited encephalitis virus surveillance traps (Rohe and Fall 1979) at 2 sites in the local area (Hammond- ville 3385701200 S, 15085800500 E; Voyager Point 3385702600 S, 15085800700 E). In addition, immature mosquito sampling was undertaken following tidal and/or rainfall inundation of habitats using a 300-ml dipper at 20 predetermined sampling sites to Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/jamca/article-pdf/37/2/101/2855383/i8756-971x-37-2-101.pdf by guest on 28 September 2021 determine the need for, and assess effectiveness of, larvicide applications (Webb and Russell 2001). Following the bushfire, an additional 10 sampling sites were established. All mosquito specimens were identified according to the taxonomic keys of Russell Fig. 1. Example of ground pools containing mosquito (1993) and pictorial guides of Webb et al. (2016). No larvae within swamp oak forest following bushfire impact mosquito control had been undertaken during these at Georges River, New South Wales, Australia. early stages of summer due to above average temperatures, below average rainfall, and a lack of vigilax (mean larval density 4.48 6 1.49 per dip) and extensive tidal inundation of local habitats. Due to Ae. alternans (mean larval density 0.06 6 0.06 per the prevailing environmental factors and a number of dip) and in partly burned habitats (n ¼ 14) with Ae. operational matters associated with bushfires, no vigilax (mean larval density 6.56 6 1.66 per dip) and mosquito control was undertaken at the site until Ae. alternans (mean larval density 0.14 6 0.12 per March 2020, outside the period discussed in this note. dip). Specimens of immature Verrallina funerea Prior to the bushfire, habitat and mosquito surveys (Theobald) were also collected but at very low were undertaken on December 19, 2019, and abundances (mean larval density ,0.05 per dip; n ¼ December 28, 2019, following partial tidal inunda- 20). This mosquito is rarely collected locally given tion of the area. Immature stages of Ae. vigilax (mean this species is close to its known southern geographic larval density 2.13 6 0.71 per dip; n ¼ 20) and Ae. limit (Webb et al. 2016). alternans (Westwood) (mean larval density 0.06 6 Given the short time between the bushfire, tidal 0.05 per dip; n ¼ 20) were collected. This difference inundation of habitats, and hatching of immature in relative abundance was not surprising given that stages, it seems highly likely that the eggs of these the larvae of Ae. alternans are predatory (Webb et al. mosquitoes survived the fire. While it is not possible 2016) and typically collected at much lower densities to rule out completely that eggs were laid shortly than Ae. vigilax (Webb and Russell 2001). No larval after the fire and then hatched on inundation, given abundance data were recorded on December 28, 2019, given the extremely limited areas of habitats adult mosquito monitoring suggested adult mosquito inundated. populations had sharply declined immediately after Postbushfire, these habitats were again inundated the fire (Table 1), it is concluded that there was by tides, and much more substantially than during the unlikely to be substantial oviposition throughout the previous month, between January 10–14, 2020 area during the short period between bushfire and (approximately 2 wk following the bushfires). tidal inundation of wetlands. There is also generally a Surveys of immature mosquitoes within ground period of at least 48–52 h of embryonic development pools remaining following retreat of tides were after oviposition before hatching (Sinclair 1976) that undertaken on January 14, 2020, and included a would likely further reduce the likelihood that the range of ground pools that were variously catego- larvae observed in these areas of burned wetland had rized as either burned or partly burned (Fig. 1). There hatched from eggs laid following the fire. While there were some small areas of habitat that remained only is some evidence that larvae of Ae. vigilax may be marginally impacted by fire, but these were not redistributed by movement of tidal water (Dale et al. sufficient to allow for a formal comparison
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