Environmental heterogeneity across an urban gradient influences detritus and nutrients within artificial containers and their associated vector Aedes sp. larvae in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Detrital inputs from the surrounding terrestrial environment provide
essential nutrients that sustain mosquito populations in aquatic
containers. The larvae of Aedes aegypti often develop in artificial
habitats in urban areas but little is known about how that environment
shapes their life history or phenotypic traits. We sampled mosquito
larvae, container detritus, and suspended particulate organic matter in 44
locations across the San Juan Metropolitan Area urban gradient in Puerto
Rico. We characterized the surrounding environment in terms of land cover,
land use, and vegetation α diversity. We show that container detritus and
nutrients are influenced by fine-scale environmental variations
environment, affecting Ae. aegypti and its competitor Ae. mediovittatus
larvae phenotypic traits and nutrient composition.