Meta-Analysis of the Relative Abundance of Nuisance and Vector Mosquitoes in Urban and Blue-Green Spaces

Abstract

Blue-green spaces (BGSs), urban areas characterized by the presence of vegetation and or water, and infrastructure form a potential solution for public health threats from increasing urbanization. We conducted a meta-analysis to test the hypothesis that blue-green spaces increase the abundance of nuisance and vector mosquito species compared to non-greened urban areas. After screening 7306 studies published since 1992, we identified 18 studies containing sufficient data from both traditional urban areas and BGSs. We found no significant difference in mean abundance of all mosquito taxa in three genera (Aedes, Culex, Anopheles) when comparing blue-green spaces and non-greened urban spaces. Similarly, a separate analysis of each individual genera found no significant differences. An analysis of the taxa by larval habitat guilds found no differences for container-breeding mosquitoes. Flood-water species tended to be more abundant in blue-green spaces, but the differences were not significant. The individual taxa of Aedes albopictus and the Culex pipiens complex showed no differences between blue-green and urban spaces, while the abundance of Aedes aegypti was significantly higher in traditional urban spaces. Due to the variety existing between and among the several types of blue-green spaces, further studies comparing each unique type of blue-green space or infrastructure will be necessary to draw conclusions regarding the influence of each structure on for urban mosquito communities.

Keywords: abundance; blue space; green space; mosquito; urban.

Figure 1

Inclusion criteria and relevant definitions.

Figure 2

PRISMA flow diagram for systematic review and meta-analysis illustrating the number of records screened, reasons for exclusion, and number of full-text articles included in meta-analysis.

Figure 3

Mean effect size of blue-green space on mosquito abundance compared to traditional urban areas across multiple genera, species, and larval habitat guilds. SMD refers to the standard mean difference in abundance and the 95% confidence interval is reported in brackets.