Abstract
Simple SummaryMany female mosquitoes require vertebrate blood for egg production. Cities are becoming increasingly important points of contact between mosquitoes and their prey, as large-scale urbanization continues. Human settlements represent unique but fragmented habitats that are permanently warmer than rural areas. Because of this, there is a growing demand to better understand urban mosquito populations and the factors affecting them in various circumstances. The aim of this study was to investigate the weather conditions influencing mosquito species and abundance in a Northern European town. Thus, a three-year-long mosquito collection effort was undertaken in Estonia. Results indicated that the number of active mosquitoes decreased with wind and higher temperatures. Interestingly, there was a significant negative correlation between temperature and humidity. Furthermore, while mosquitoes belonging to the Culex pipiens/Culex torrentium group were consistently abundant during the end of the warm season, other dominant species varied considerably between the months and the three study years. Overall, springtime hydrological conditions seemed to greatly influence the mosquito season. Urbanization could generate both higher temperatures and drier environments, resulting in fewer mosquitoes in some areas. This study also revealed the mosquito species most likely to contribute to disease transmission in Estonian towns.Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) are universally recognized as troublesome pests and vectors of various pathogens and parasites. Understandably, the species makeup and diversity of individual populations depends on local and broad scale environmental trends, especially on temperature and hydrological variations. Anthropogenic landscapes make for unique habitats, but their effect on insects likely varies across climatic regions. The aim of this study was to investigate the diversity and seasonal patterns of urban mosquitoes in the boreal region. Specimens were collected with an insect net from May to September during three years and determined to species or species group level. Weather information was added to each data point and results analyzed using multivariate regression models. Fieldwork yielded 1890 mosquitoes from four genera. Both abundance and the effective number of species (ENS) significantly decreased during the study period. The number of collected mosquitoes had a negative correlation with wind speed and temperature, latter of which exhibited a negative association with humidity. Species succession followed predictable patterns, but with some variation between years. Still, Culex pipiens/Culex torrentium were the most abundant throughout the study. Importantly, all dominant species were known disease vectors. Our work showed that higher temperatures could result in fewer mosquitoes in boreal towns.
Highlights
Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) are common biting insects found on almost every continent: far, a total of 3583 species have been recorded from various parts of the world [1,2]
While the total number of collected mosquitoes was similar between the three years, in reality the mean number of individuals caught during each collection event decreased from 6.41, 95% confidence interval (CI) [6.22–6.61]
The numbers of active mosquitoes inhabiting urban green spaces in the town of Tartu are greatly influenced by the variations in yearly weather patterns
Summary
Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) are common biting insects found on almost every continent: far, a total of 3583 species have been recorded from various parts of the world [1,2]. Mosquitoes are the primary transmitters, known as vectors, for many of the most important arthropod-borne diseases [3]. Ongoing processes like urbanization, alterations in agricultural practices, deforestation, climate change as well as socioeconomic developments influence the prevalence and geographic ranges of both vectors and vectorborne pathogens [5,6,7]. Different mosquito species can act as the principal vector for the same pathogen depending on whether the transmission cycle takes place in a sylvatic, rural or urban setting [8,9]. It is important to study global mosquito diversity patterns, but to understand how mosquito communities and vector-human interactions are shaped by local conditions, as mosquitoes are the most likely vectors to cause vector-borne disease epidemics in urban environments [10]
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