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. 2021 Feb 25;12(3):196.
doi: 10.3390/insects12030196.

Aedes albopictus Populations and Larval Habitat Characteristics across the Landscape: Significant Differences Exist between Urban and Rural Land Use Types

Katie M Westby  1 , Solny A Adalsteinsson  1 , Elizabeth G Biro  1 , Alexis J Beckermann  1   2 , Kim A Medley  1
Affiliations

Aedes albopictus Populations and Larval Habitat Characteristics across the Landscape: Significant Differences Exist between Urban and Rural Land Use Types

Katie M Westby et al. Insects. .

Abstract

One of the most profound recent global changes has been the proliferation of urban metropolitan areas. A consequence of urbanization is a reduction in abundance, or diversity, of wildlife. One exception, is the proliferation of vectors of disease; recent years have seen the emergence and resurgence of diseases vectored by species closely associated with humans. Aedes albopictus, a mosquito with a near global range and broad ecological niche, has been described as an urban, suburban, or rural vector, or a forest edge species depending on local conditions. We tested the hypothesis that abundance and phenological patterns of this species vary among different land use types in a temperate city because of the variation in the biotic and abiotic conditions characteristic of those habitat types. A. albopictus populations in urban and suburban areas were an order of magnitude larger than in rural areas and were detected several weeks earlier in the season. Additionally, we found fewer overall mosquito species, higher temperatures, lower nitrogen, higher pH, and faster water evaporation in larval habitats in urban vs. rural areas. By understanding the ecological differences that facilitate a species in one habitat and not another, we can potentially exploit those differences for targeted control.

Keywords: Aedes albopictus; detritus; heterospecifics; hydroperiod; microclimate; mosquito; nitrogen; pH; phenology; tannins; urban ecology.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mosquito sampling sites by habitat type. Rural: light grey, Suburban: Medium grey, Urban: dark grey. Squares: site was sampled in both years, Circle: site was sampled in 2017, Triangle: site was sampled in 2018. The color of the icons denote the percent impervious for each site at a 30 m2 scale (data obtained from the Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics Consortium). White: <5%, Blue: 5–55%, Red: >55%. County boundaries indicated with dark grey lines.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Abundance of A. albopictus larvae collected from oviposition cups. (A) The interaction between land use type and sample year. (B) The interaction between sample week and land use type in 2017 and (C) 2018.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Abundance of A. albopictus larvae collected from oviposition cups. (A) The interaction between land use type and sample year. (B) The interaction between sample week and land use type in 2017 and (C) 2018.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Water chemistry measured at a single time point at the end of the sampling period in September 2017. (A) Total nitrogen, (B) total tannins, (C) pH, and (D) the negative relationship between the total A. albopictus collected from a cup and the total tannins measured from that cup. Different lower case letters above bars indicate groups that are significantly different from each other.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Water chemistry measured at a single time point at the end of the sampling period in September 2017. (A) Total nitrogen, (B) total tannins, (C) pH, and (D) the negative relationship between the total A. albopictus collected from a cup and the total tannins measured from that cup. Different lower case letters above bars indicate groups that are significantly different from each other.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Ovicup hydroperiod, measured as weekly percent water loss in 2018.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Temperature and humidity were measured every three hours at each site, directly next to one of the ovicups, in 2018. (A) Daily mean temperatures by land use type, (B) a histogram of the frequency that differences in daily mean temperatures between each land use type reached levels that may be sufficient to alter population growth rates, (C) daily mean relative humidity.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Temperature and humidity were measured every three hours at each site, directly next to one of the ovicups, in 2018. (A) Daily mean temperatures by land use type, (B) a histogram of the frequency that differences in daily mean temperatures between each land use type reached levels that may be sufficient to alter population growth rates, (C) daily mean relative humidity.
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