Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

For better or worse, humans are now considered the `greatest evolutionary force' and are having dramatic effects on the environment and on the organisms that exist in those environments. One way humans are changing the environment is biotic control, such as using aquatic organisms for mosquito control. Mosquitos can harbour viruses that are deadly to humans, so effective control methods are important. Humans are also changing the environment by introducing species into novel environments, such as introducing Trinidadian guppies for mosquito control. Trinidadian guppies are now a globally invasive species and can have strong ecological impacts. Both domesticated guppies from the aquarium trade and wild guppies from their native habitats in Trinidad have been introduced. However, we lack knowledge in several areas related to guppies being used for mosquito control. First, we do not understand how domestic and wild guppies differ in traits that can affect their survival and reproduction. Domestic guppies have been under strong, artificial selection for their bright colours popular in the aquarium trade, and domestic and wild guppies could have very different effects on the environment once introduced. Second, we do not actually know how effective guppies are in controlling mosquitoes and their pathogens. Third, we do not fully understand the magnitude of nor the mechanisms underlying the ecological impact of introduced guppies. Lastly, other human influences such as climate change could exacerbate the effects of invasive species. We will use a combination of laboratory and mesocosm experiments using guppies, mosquitos, and mosquito-specific viruses to fill this knowledge gap because it can have public health implications. To accomplish this, guppies must be housed in aquariums to be used for laboratory experiments and bred to achieve large numbers of guppies for laboratory and large scale mesocosm experiments. Traditional glass aquarium set-ups take up vast amounts of space, are extremely time consuming and expensive, and require several technicians to maintain the fish through activities such as cleaning, monitoring, and regular water changes. This RTI grant will be used to purchase stand-alone, self-cleaning fish racks that can automatically control factors such as temperature, pH, and ammonia, and does a 10% water change in each tank everyday. This will allow researchers to conduct and execute these experiments instead of spending their time and resources on fish husbandry. The research generated from using these racks will inform conservation and management practices around the world in areas where guppies have been introduced for mosquito control and enhance our understanding of the ecological impacts of invasive species. Canadians will benefit from this research as many Canadians live, travel, and work in areas where mosquito control is a public health concern and guppies have been introduced as a bio-control.