Abstract
1. Fire retardants are composed of fertilising salts that are commonly used for fighting wildfires. These chemicals have various effects on individual arthropod species and aquatic communities.
2. This study investigated the effects of four treatments of a prevalent fire retardant [FR CROS 134 (FR), applied at concentrations of 0, 3.8 × 102, 7.6 × 102 and 11.4 × 102 mg litre−1] on oviposition habitat selection (OHS) by Culiseta longiareolata and Culex laticinctus mosquitoes in an outdoor mesocosm. Additionally, larval development of C. longiareolata was examined in response to this fire retardant.
3. The results demonstrate that OHS increased in both species, whereas survivorship (0–86.7%) and time to metamorphosis (5.4–23.1 days) of C. longiareolata were not affected by any of the treatments. However, cyanobacterial biomass increased and heterotrophic bacteria decreased in response to the addition of FR.
4. It was found that FR applications can have unintended consequences which can increase OHS by female mosquitoes. The growing use of fire retardants worldwide, and especially in Israel, justify evidence‐based assessment and environmental management of their use. This study is a first critical step in filling the knowledge gap with respect to the impact of FR on aquatic ecosystems.
This study investigated the effects of the fire retardant FR CROS 134 (FR) on oviposition habitat selection (OHS) of the mosquitoes Culiseta longiareolata and Culex laticinctus in an outdoor mesocosm experiment.
The results demonstrate OHS increasing in both species, while the survivorship (0–86.7%) and time to metamorphosis (5.4–23.1 days) of C. longiareolata were unaffected by the FR treatments.
The lowest trophic level, cyanobacteria, heterotrophic bacteria and algae, showed variable responses to FR addition. These results show direct and indirect consequences of FR application on OHS by female mosquitoes.