Abstract
The intent of this thesis is to develop ordinary differential equation models to better understand the mosquito population. We first develop a framework model, where we determine the condition under which a natural mosquito population can persist in the environment. Wolbachia is a bacterium which limits the replication of viruses inside the mosquito which it infects. As a result, infecting a mosquito population with Wolbachia can decrease the transmission of viral mosquito-borne diseases, such as dengue. We develop another ODE model to investigate the invasion of Wolbachia in a mosquito population. In a biologically feasible situation, we determine three coexisting equilibria: a stable Wolbachia-free equilibrium, an unstable coexistence equilibrium, and a complete invasion equilibrium. We establish the conditions under which a population of Wolbachia infected mosquitoes may persist in the environment via the next generation number and determine when a natural mosquito population may experience a complete invasion of Wolbachia.
Thesis Completion
2018
Semester
Spring
Thesis Chair/Advisor
Shuai, Zhisheng
Degree
Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
College
College of Sciences
Department
Mathematics
Degree Program
Mathematics
Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
Language
English
Access Status
Open Access
Release Date
5-1-2018
Recommended Citation
Reed, Hanna, "Mathematical Models of Mosquito Populations" (2018). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 299.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses/299