Mosquito Biology Project

One of the most active research groups in the laboratory is the Mosquito Biology Project.  Texas encompasses a wide range of environmental conditions from sea level to mountainous terrain and, within this diverse area, 80 species of mosquitoes abound with several species incriminated as disease vectors.  Ongoing studies on the biology and ecology of many of these mosquitoes are yielding fundamental knowledge of the behavior, breeding preferences, flight range, survival rates, and other basic mosquito characteristics.

The major endeavor of the research conducted by students in the Mosquito Biology Project has been the characterization of mosquito species involved in the transmission of pathogens of medical importance in Texas.  Research has concentrated on what we have termed vector competence.  Vector competence is the efficiency of a mosquito species or subpopulation of a species in acquiring and transmitting a pathogen.