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. 2015 Jun 18;10(6):e0128112.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0128112. eCollection 2015.

Landscape Effects on the Presence, Abundance and Diversity of Mosquitoes in Mediterranean Wetlands

David Roiz  1 , Santiago Ruiz  2 , Ramon Soriguer  1 , Jordi Figuerola  1
Affiliations

Landscape Effects on the Presence, Abundance and Diversity of Mosquitoes in Mediterranean Wetlands

David Roiz et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Environment determines the distribution of mosquito-borne diseases in that it influences the vector-host-pathogen transmission cycle, including vector distribution, abundance and diversity. In this study, we analyse the relationship between environmental variables estimated by remote sensing and the spatial distribution (presence, abundance and diversity) of seven mosquito species vectors of West Nile and other pathogens (Usutu, avian malaria and dirofilariasis) in the Doñana Natural Park, Spain. Traps were distributed over an area of 54,984 ha divided into six ecological units: marshland, sand dunes, scrubland, ricefields, crops and fishponds. We collected mosquitoes once a month from up to 112 locations using BG-Sentinel traps baited with BG-lure and CO2 during March-November 2010. Hydroperiod, NDVI and Inundation surface were estimated at several resolution scales (100, 250, 500, 1000 and 2000 metres) from corrected and normalized Landsat Images. We sampled 972,346 female mosquitoes, the most abundant species being Culex theileri, Ochlerotatus caspius, Culex modestus, Culex perexiguus, Culex pipiens, Anopheles atroparvus and Ochlerotatus detritus. Our results suggest that: (1) hydroperiod, inundation surface and NDVI are strongly related to the spatial distribution of mosquitoes; (2) the spatial scales used to measure these variables affected quantification of these relationships, the larger scale being more informative; (3) these relationships are species-specific; (4) hydroperiod is negatively related to mosquito presence and richness; (5) Culex abundance is positively related to hydroperiod; (6) NDVI is positively related to mosquito diversity, presence and abundance, except in the case of the two salt marsh species (Oc. caspius and Oc. detritus); and (7) inundation surfaces positively condition the abundance and richness of most species except the salt marsh mosquitoes. Remote sensing data provided reliable information for monitoring mosquito populations. Landscape significantly affected mosquito distribution and abundance, and as a result may alter disease risk. These results suggest that while environmental conditions affect the distribution and abundance of mosquitoes, other factors such as human modification of landscapes may give rise to significant changes in mosquito populations and consequently disease risk.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Map of the study area with an ortophotograph of the area.
Ecological units are described in Material and Methods. Urban areas correspond to the villages situated at the border of the study area. White circles indicate the locations of the traps.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Monthly number of captures of the different mosquito species from March to November 2010 in the different ecological units studied.
Cx. theileri was more abundant in marshland, but also in other landscape units. Cx. perexiguus was more abundant in ricefields, scrubland and other landscapes. Cx. modestus was more abundant in marshland and in June. Cx.pipiens was abundant in marshland, sand dunes and scrubland, Oc. caspius was abundant in all landscapes, while Oc. detritus was significantly more abundant in halophytic marshes of sand dunes and fish ponds.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Spatial interpolation by kriging of annual mosquito abundances of: total female mosquitoes (a), Cx. theileri (b), Cx. pipiens (c), Cx. perexiguus (d), Cx. modestus (e), Oc. caspius (f), Oc. detritus (g), and An. atroparvus (h) with an ortophotograph of the area.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Results of the GLM binomial analysis of the influence of Hydroperiod and NDVI on annual mosquito presences in the five different buffers.
Fig 5
Fig 5. Relationships among annual hydroperiod, NDVI and Shannon diversity index and mean annual mosquito species richness.
Fig 6
Fig 6. Relationships among annual hydroperiod, NDVI, Cx.theileri, Cx. pipiens, Cx.modestus, Cx.perexiguus and Oc.caspius annual abundances.
Fig 7
Fig 7. Relationships between Shannon diversity Index and monthly NDVI, and between monthly mosquito abundance and inundation area.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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