Browsing by Subject "Texas--Laredo"
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Item Distribution of field caught mosquitoes from Laredo, Texas(Texas A&M International University, 2011-08) Mendoza, Yvette Patricia; Kidd, Michael R.; Beck, David L.; Kidd, Michael R.; Quintana, Fernando Guillermo; San Miguel, ClaudiaWithin the last decades, mosquito-borne viruses have re-emerged in the United States. These infectious viruses include Dengue, West Nile, St. Louis Encephalitis, and Chikungunya, just to name a few. Originating in sub-tropical and tropical regions, these viruses and the mosquitoes that transmit them know no borders. Laredo, Texas is a town which borders Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico; an area that is known to have frequent outbreaks of the Dengue virus. Identifying the diversity of mosquito species and the abundance of mosquitoes in the City of Laredo is a key element in aiding local public health officials in disease surveillance. This 9-month study was aimed to identify if the vectors for these viruses were present in Laredo, their distribution throughout the city, and if weather and environmental factors affect their presence. We found that the main vectors for Dengue (Aedes aegypti) and West Nile virus (Culex quinquefasciatus) are indeed present year-round with higher activity in areas that border Mexico and when temperature ranges between 16°C and 37°C. It is recommended that the City of Laredo conduct monthly surveillance of mosquito pools and increase community outreach to prevent disease transmission and potentially a future outbreak. These efforts will not eliminate the possibility of infection through a mosquito bite but may decrease the incidence of the vector-borne disease in the area.Item The Asiatic clam (Corbicula fluminea) as a bio-monitor for determining the distribution of antimony, arsenic and thallium in the water column and sediments of Manadas Creek, Laredo, Texas(Texas A&M International University, 2016-02) Garcia, Natasha; Vaughan, TomManadas Creek is an urban tributary of the Rio Grande that flows past a decommissioned antimony smelter. This smelter is associated with the heavy metal contamination in the creek and still poses a threat to the surrounding aquatic environment. With concerns on the rise of metal pollution, the biomonitor, the Asiatic clam (Corbicula fluminea) was used to determine bioaccumulation from the water column and sediments in Manadas Creek. The metals arsenic (As), antimony (Sb) and thallium (Tl) were analyzed in the water, sediments, gills, mantle, foot, digestive (DI) tract, gonads and shell of clams collected from sites between March to August 2013. Metal analysis of arsenic, antimony and thallium was performed by ICP-OES. High levels of antimony, arsenic and thallium in the water (13.45±6.65; 10.33±3.4; 7.47±1.73) and sediments (75.77±1.59; 6.41±1.19) at the site downstream from the smelter were observed. Additionally, tissue samples from this site had the highest concentrations, however there was no direct correlation between the metal concentrations in the water column and sediments with the tissues. There were no detectable concentrations of arsenic, antimony and thallium in shell samples. Site 3 had the highest thallium concentration in the sediments (3.00±0.68). No detectable thallium concentrations were detected in the tissues. Based on the results, the organotropism for arsenic is DI tract > gills > gonads > foot > mantle > shell and the organotropism for antimony is gills > DI tract > gonads > mantle > foot > shell. The Asiatic clam (Corbicula fluminea) is a useful biomonitor to provide data on the status of metal pollution in Manadas Creek, Laredo, Texas.Item The Wandering Spider Guild of Webb County, Texas(Texas A&M International University, 2014-10-02) Trevino, Monica; Mott, DanAnalysis of 10 years of spider collecting in Webb County, Texas has yielded 549 specimens in 21 genera and 55 species. This study was performed to establish similarities and relationships among wandering spiders of south Texas in Webb County and to identify the members of the wandering spider guild. The families included in this guild are the Clubionidae, Corinnidae, Gnaphosidae, Liocranidae, and Miturgidae. Wet pitfall traps and hand collecting were utilized in the gathering of the specimens. Spiders were identified using the most recent literature and allowed for an examination of the interactions of the members of this guild based on frequency of collection. There were 549 specimens, 55 species, and 21 genera of the 5 different families that were collected from 2003 to 2012. The spiders in these families are all part of the same spider guild, the wandering spider guild. . The families of spiders that were the most numerous in the collection were the Gnaphosidae and Corinnidae. All of the specimens, 344 males and 205 females, were collected in Webb County, South Texas and were collected in wet pit-fall traps and through hand collecting. Although all 5 families were represented in the collections, the Gnaphosidae were the most prevalent. Most of the specimens did not appear during the month of August due to it being the hottest month of the year. The frequency of the species and specimens was relatively low during the months of December and January because it is the coldest time of the year in Webb County, Texas.