Influence of soil quality in the larval habitat on development of <i>Anopheles gambiae</i> Giles

Larval ecology is an important aspect of the population dynamics of anopheline mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae), the vectors of malaria. <i>Anopheles larvae</i> live in pools of stagnant water and adult fitness may be correlated with the nutritional conditions under which larvae develop. A study was conducted in Mbita, Western Kenya, to investigate how properties of the soil substrate of <i>Anopheles gambiae</i> breeding pools can influence development of this mosquito species. <i>An. gambiae</i> eggs from an established colony were dispensed into experimental plastic troughs containing soil samples from a range of natural <i>Anopheles</i> larval habitats and filtered Lake Victoria water. The duration of larval development (8-15 days), pupation rate (0-79 %), and adult body size (20.28-26.91 mm3) varied among different soil types. The total organic matter (3.61-21.25%), organic carbon (0.63-7.18%), and total nitrogen (0.06-0.58%) levels of the soils were positively correlated with pupation rate and negatively correlated with development time and adult body size.