Fine-scale variation in microclimate across an urban landscape shapes variation in mosquito population dynamics and the potential of Aedes albopictus to transmit arboviral disease

• Published in: PLoS neglected tropical diseases 2017-05, Vol.11 (5), p.e0005640-e0005640
• Main Authors: Murdock, Courtney C, Evans, Michelle V, McClanahan, Taylor D, Miazgowicz, Kerri L, Tesla, Blanka
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adults; Aedes - growth & development; Aedes - virology; Aedes albopictus; Ambient temperature; Animals; Aquatic insects; Arbovirus diseases; Biology and Life Sciences; Body size; Capacity; Climate; Climate change; Climate models; Data loggers; Dengue; Dengue - epidemiology; Dengue - transmission; Dengue fever; Dengue Virus - isolation & purification; Disease transmission; Diseases; Distribution; Diurnal variations; Dynamics; Earth Sciences; Ecology; Environmental aspects; Female; Georgia; Growth; Health aspects; History; Human diseases; Indoor environments; Infectious diseases; Insect Vectors - growth & development; Insect Vectors - virology; Land use; Landscape; Larva - growth & development; Larvae; Life history; Malaria; Male; Mathematical models; Medicine and Health Sciences; Microclimate; Microclimates; Mosquitoes; Pathogens; Population; Population (statistical); Population Dynamics; Proportional Hazards Models; Relative humidity; Research and Analysis Methods; Risk factors; Rural land use; Seasons; Sex; Simulation; Social Sciences; Statistical analysis; Summer; Surfaces; Survival; Temperature; Temperature effects; Translating; Transmission; Tropical diseases; Urban areas; Urban health; Vector-borne diseases; Vegetation; Veterinary colleges; Veterinary medicine; Viral diseases; Water scarcity; West Nile virus; Zika virus
• ISSN: 1935-2735; 1935-2727; 1935-2735
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005640

Most statistical and mechanistic models used to predict mosquito-borne disease transmission incorporate climate drivers of disease transmission by utilizing environmental data collected at geographic scales that are potentially coarser than what mosquito populations may actually experience. Temperature and relative humidity can vary greatly between indoor and outdoor environments, and can be influenced strongly by variation in landscape features. In the Aedes albopictus system, we conducted a proof-of-concept study in the vicinity of the University of Georgia to explore the effects of fine-scale microclimate variation on mosquito life history and vectorial capacity (VC). We placed Ae. albopictus larvae in artificial pots distributed across three replicate sites within three different land uses-urban, suburban, and rural, which were characterized by high, intermediate, and low proportions of impervious surfaces. Data loggers were placed into each larval environment and in nearby vegetation to record daily variation in water and ambient temperature and relative humidity. The number of adults emerging from each pot and their body size and sex were recorded daily. We found mosquito microclimate to significantly vary across the season as well as with land use. Urban sites were in general warmer and less humid than suburban and rural sites, translating into decreased larval survival, smaller body sizes, and lower per capita growth rates of mosquitoes on urban sites. Dengue transmission potential was predicted to be higher in the summer than the fall. Additionally, the effects of land use on dengue transmission potential varied by season. Warm summers resulted in a higher predicted VC on the cooler, rural sites, while warmer, urban sites had a higher predicted VC during the cooler fall season.