Landscape Composition Affects Elements of Metacommunity Structure for Culicidae Across South-Eastern Illinois

Abstract

The interplay among invasive alien vectors and the species assemblage of native potential vectors in areas of range expansion may affect the dynamics of pathogen transmission. In this study we investigate how Aedes albopictus, an invasive mosquito of considerable public health concern fits within mosquito communities at the edge of its range of distribution. This was addressed using a 2-year field survey of mosquitoes in south-eastern Illinois. We found that Ae. albopictus was more broadly distributed in this region than previously realized, with new occurrence records for nine counties. Abundance of this species varied strongly and peaked in locations of low-intermediate overall mosquito species richness. This differed from overall mosquito abundance, as well as abundance of another important vector, Cx. pipiens, for which the abundance-richness relationships were best described with power functions. Metacommunity analyses revealed that mosquito communities showed a non-random distribution with a Clementsian gradient, which suggests a pattern whereby distinct species assemblages are associated with specific habitats or environmental conditions. Land use was a significant underlying factor shaping mosquito community structure and species assemblages. Multivariate analyses showed that while Ae. canadensis and Cx. pipiens complex mosquitoes were associated with high and low proportions of wetlands in the environment, respectively, Ae. albopictus was most strongly associated with urban settlements. This work sheds light on landscape-level processes, such as niche differentiation driven by urban and agricultural development, structuring mosquito communities. We suggest that mosquito community assessments across habitats be incorporated as part of a One Health vector surveillance approach to aid in the goal of prediction and prevention of new and (re-)emerging vector-borne diseases.

Change in the faunal composition of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) along a heterogeneous landscape gradient in the Brazilian Amazon

“…The difference in the composition of the culicids community in our investigation area was primarily associated with the change of species among the sampling points concerning the environments analyzed (see Results ). The turnover in the mosquito community due to landscape gradients is routinely observed in other studies [ 13 , 61 – 63 ] and is generally influenced by the characteristics of the local habitat. In this case, associated anthropogenic species are favored and replace the peridomicile’s typical local fauna.…”

“…The community of the modified habitat can receive new species by migrating from other habitats, generating a nested pattern [ 12 ]. Both mechanisms of pattern generation through nestedness do not necessarily exclude one another, and immigrant species can potentially replace locally extinct species or even cause their extinction, leading to a community with high species turnover [ 11 , 13 ]. Chaves et al [ 14 ] verified the association between the percentage of vegetation cover and the diversity of Amazonian mosquitoes and found that, in general, the decrease in vegetation cover led to the loss of Culicidae diversity, however, Anopheles darlingi , the primary vector of malaria in the region, has become dominant in the most anthropized areas.…”