Unraveling the relationships between midge abundance and incidence, microbial communities, and soil and water properties in a protected natural tallgrass prairie.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Biting midges (Culicoides spp.) are small blood-feeding flies (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) that transmit numerous pathogens that impact animal and human health. The larvae of several Culicoides spp., including vectors, are often found in organically enriched, moist soil habitats. However, the influence of biotic (e.g., cohabiting fauna, potential prey taxa) and abiotic factors (e.g., soil or water properties, time) on abundance and incidence of larval Culicoides in natural habitats is not well understood. This study evaluated the relationships between bacterial and protistan communities, soil and water physicochemical properties, and the abundance and incidence of Culicoides species in larval habitats at the Konza Prairie Biological Station in Kansas.

Methods

Soil a

SUBMITTER: Neupane S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12009528 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature