Student Research Reports
An Analysis of the Effect of Land Cover Type on Mosquito Populations
Country:United States of America
Student(s):Garima Bansal, Nico Bers, Aminata Kamara, Grace Tilley, and Amehia Williams
Grade Level:Secondary School (grades 9-12, ages 14-18)
GLOBE Educator(s):Cassie Soeffing
Contributors:Dr. Rusty Low, scientist, IGES
Peder Nelson, scientist, OSU
Dr. Erika Podest, scientist, NASA JPL
Dr. Becky Boger, scientist
Report Type(s):International Virtual Science Symposium Report, Mission Mosquito Report
Protocols:Land Cover Classification, Mosquitoes
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Language(s):English
Date Submitted:02/11/2022
Mosquito-borne diseases pose a significant danger to public health, making it important for us to understand the factors that affect mosquito populations. We decided to compare mosquito populations within two land cover types: woody wetlands and deciduous forests. In order to study this relationship, we used mosquito data from the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON).
The NEON mosquito data set catalogs various features of mosquito collection sites, including land cover type and mosquito counts. These data categories encouraged our team to explore two primary questions: How do environmental factors such as land cover affect mosquito populations? Does the prevalence of standing water in woody wetlands lead to greater mosquito presence in comparison to deciduous forests? We explored these questions with the ultimate goal of mapping and modeling any correlations (or lack thereof) as a means to better understand the factors that affect mosquito populations.
By parsing through NEON mosquito count data from June to September 2019 for two separate locations which both contained woody wetlands and deciduous forests, our team generated average mosquito counts for each land cover type. Graphing this data allowed us to conclude that there is not a significant correlation between land cover type and mosquito population for the two land cover types we studied.
In order to better understand the relationship between land cover types and mosquito populations, a broader range of land cover types must be studied. We also recommend that variables such as precipitation and temperature be factored in when analyzing this relationship. Finally, we do not recommend using NEON data to study mosquito population counts and instead recommend using it to study mosquito species richness and diversity.
Keywords: mosquito population, land cover, National Ecological Observatory Network, environmental factors, mosquito-borne diseases