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.