Abstract
Mosquitoes are well known for their epidemiological importance as vectors of a wide range of human pathogens. Despite the many studies on medically important species, little is known about the diversity patterns of these insects in urban green spaces, which serve as shelter and refuge for many native and invasive species. Here, we investigate drivers of mosquito richness and composition in nine urban parks in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Using the equilibrium theory of island biogeography, we tested predictive models for species richness and composition and performed nestedness analysis. We also investigated whether species loss tends to benefit vector mosquitoes. In the period 2011 to 2013, a total of 37,972 mosquitoes belonging to 73 species and 14 genera were collected. Our results suggest there is a species-area relationship, an increase in species similarity as richness is lost and a nested species composition pattern. Seven of the eight most commonly found species are considered vectors of human pathogens, suggesting a possible link between species loss and increased risk of pathogen transmission. Our data highlight the need for studies that seek to understand how species loss may affect the risk of infectious diseases in urban areas.
Highlights
Mosquitoes are well known for their epidemiological importance as vectors of a wide range of human pathogens
The largest number of adult specimens was collected with Shannon traps (9,907) and the largest number of immatures with suction samples (9,474 mosquitoes), while the largest number of species was collected with the battery-powered aspirator (51 species)
We have reported evidence that mosquito richness and composition in urban parks can follow the patterns predicted by the equilibrium theory of island biogeography (ETIB), with a tendency toward a species-area relationship in which larger areas tend to be more species-rich than smaller ones and toward a nested pattern that increases similarity between assemblages in species-poor sites, indicating a non-random process of species loss or gain
Summary
Mosquitoes are well known for their epidemiological importance as vectors of a wide range of human pathogens. While most mosquito species show a preference for specific types of larval habitats and are very sensitive to environmental changes, some tend to thrive in human-impacted environments, such as urban areas[7,8] These highly impacted new ecosystems favor certain mosquito species that can achieve high abundances by breeding in artificial sites resulting from human activities. Among the theories used to explain the regional processes that promote urban biodiversity, the equilibrium theory of island biogeography (ETIB), developed by MacArthur and Wilson[17], has received strong support in studies of insect communities and other arthropods living in urban areas[14,18] According to this theory, species richness on islands represents a dynamic equilibrium between immigration and extinction rates, which are affected by the size of the island and the distance to the source of colonization. The proximity between natural fragments can increase the chances of sustaining a meta-population, thereby reducing the risk of species extinction[14,18]
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