The Effects of Climate Variations on Mosquito Species Distribution at the Ordway-Swisher Biological Station (OSBS)

The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) provides open-access ecological data at various sites, including data on climate statistics and mosquito populations. Understanding variations in mosquito populations is important not only to understand how a changing global climate is affecting species populations, but also to model the spread of invasive species and mosquito-borne pathogens. Utilizing mosquito population from NEON at the Ordway-Swisher Biological Station (OSBS), as well as summary weather statistics, this study aimed to deduce the correlation between weather patterns, such as temperature, humidity, and radiation, and the populations of different species of mosquitoes found at OSBS. The study found that certain mosquito species reacted differently to weather patterns such as temperature. Additionally, the study found that although total mosquito populations remained relatively constant, due to interspecies competition the proportions of species differed significantly.