Dataset Information

Larval habitat diversity and mosquito species distribution along the coast of Kenya.

ABSTRACT: Background: Management of arboviruses relies heavily on vector control. Implementation and sustenance of effective control measures requires regular surveillance of mosquito occurrences, species abundance and distribution. The current study evaluated larval habitat diversity and productivity, mosquito species diversity and distribution in selected sites along the coast of Kenya. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of mosquito breeding habitats, species diversity and distribution was conducted in urban, peri-urban and forested ecological zones in Mombasa and Kilifi counties. Results: A total of 13,009 immature mosquitoes were collected from 17 diverse aquatic habitats along the coast of Kenya. Larval productivity differed significantly (F (16, 243) = 3.21, P < 0.0001) among the aquatic habitats, with tyre habitats recording the highest larval population. Culex pipiens (50.17%) and Aedes aegypti (38.73%) were the dominant mosquito species in urban areas, while Ae. vittatus (89%) was the dominant species in forested areas. In total, 4,735 adult mosquitoes belonging to 19 species were collected in Haller Park, Bamburi, Gede and Arabuko Sokoke forest. Urban areas supported higher densities of Ae. aegypti compared to peri-urban and forest areas, which, on the other hand, supported greater mosquito species diversity. Conclusions: High Ae. aegypti production in urban and peri-urban areas present a greater risk of arbovirus outbreaks. Targeting productive habitats of Aedes aegypti, such as discarded tyres, containers and poorly maintained drainage systems in urban areas and preventing human-vector contact in peri-urban and forested areas could have a significant impact on the prevalence of arboviruses along the coast of Kenya, forestalling the periodic outbreaks experienced in the region.

SUBMITTER: Karuitha M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7241275 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Larval habitat diversity and mosquito species distribution along the coast of Kenya.

Karuitha Miriam M Bargul Joel J Lutomiah Joel J Muriu Simon S Nzovu Joseph J Sang Rosemary R Mwangangi Joseph J Mbogo Charles C

Wellcome open research 20191113

<b>Background:</b> Management of arboviruses relies heavily on vector control. Implementation and sustenance of effective control measures requires regular surveillance of mosquito occurrences, species abundance and distribution. The current study evaluated larval habitat diversity and productivity, mosquito species diversity and distribution in selected sites along the coast of Kenya. <b>Methods:</b> A cross-sectional survey of mosquito breeding habitats, species diversity and distribution was ...[more]

PMID: 32509966

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundUnderstanding the ecology of larval malaria and lymphatic filariasis mosquitoes in a changing environment is important in developing effective control tools or programmes. This study characterized the breeding habitats of Anopheles mosquitoes in rural communities in different ecological zones in Ghana during the dry and rainy seasons.MethodsThe spatio-temporal distribution, species composition, and abundance of larval Anopheles mosquitoes in breeding habitats were studied in five locations in three ecological zones of Ghana. These were Anyakpor (coastal savannah area), Duase (forest area), and Libga, Pagaza, and Kpalsogu (Sahel savannah area). Larvae were collected using standard dippers and were raised in the insectary for identification.ResultsOut of a total of 7984 mosquito larvae collected, 2152 (27.26%) were anophelines and were more abundant in the rainy season (70.82%) than in the dry season (29.18%). The anophelines comprised 2128 (98.88%) An. gambiae s.l., 16 (0.74%) An. rufipes, and 8 (0.37%) An. pharoensis. In the coastal savannah and forest zones, dug-out wells were the most productive habitat during the dry (1.59 larvae/dip and 1.47 larvae/dip) and rainy seasons (11.28 larvae/dip and 2.05 larvae/dip). Swamps and furrows were the most productive habitats in the Sahel savannah zone during the dry (0.25 larvae/dip) and rainy (2.14 larvae/dip) seasons, respectively. Anopheles coluzzii was the most abundant sibling species in all the ecological zones. Anopheles melas and An. arabiensis were encountered only in the coastal savannah and the Sahel savannah areas, respectively. Larval habitat types influenced the presence of larvae as well as larval density (p < 0.001). The land-use type affected the presence of Anopheles larvae (p = 0.001), while vegetation cover influenced larval density (p < 0.05).ConclusionThe most productive habitats were dug-out wells in the coastal savannah and forest zones, and furrows from irrigated canals in the Sahel savannah zone. Anopheles coluzzii was the predominant vector species in all the ecological zones. The abundance of Anopheles breeding habitats and larvae were influenced by anthropogenic activities. Encouraging people whose activities create the larval habitats to become involved in larval source management such as habitat manipulation to stop mosquito breeding will be important for malaria and lymphatic filariasis control.

Project description:The effects of Spartina alterniflora invasion on macrobenthos have long been of concern; however, there is currently no unified conclusion regarding these effects. Most studies on crabs focus on one species or limited habitat types, and assessments of the community-level effects of S. alterniflora invasion considering multiple species and habitat types have rarely been conducted. In this study, we sampled crabs along a habitat gradient from the shoreline to inland areas on the Yellow Sea coast, including the mudflat, S. alterniflora marsh, Suaeda salsa marsh and Phragmites australis marsh. A total of 10 crab species were found among all habitats, with five species in the mudflat, six species in S. alterniflora marsh, seven species in S. salsa marsh and four species in P. australis marsh. The Shannon index values for the crab communities were similar between S. alterniflora marsh and S. salsa marsh, and these values were significantly higher than those for the mudflat and P. australis marsh. However, the total biomass of crabs was highest in the mudflat, and Metaplax longipes, Philyra pisum and Macrophthalmus dilatatus exclusively preferred the mudflat. The analysis of principal components and similarities showed that the crab community structure in S. alterniflora marsh was most similar to that in S. salsa marsh, while the crab community structure in the mudflat was most different from that in the other habitat types. Our results demonstrate that the distribution of crabs varies across a habitat gradient after S. alterniflora invasion and that the crab community in S. alterniflora marsh is slightly different from that associated with the local vegetation but shows a large difference from that in the mudflat. This study indicates that some crab species may have adapted to habitat containing alien S. alterniflora, while other crab species reject this new marsh type. The effects of the distribution of crabs after S. alterniflora invasion on the regional ecosystem need further study in the future.

Dataset Information

Larval habitat diversity and mosquito species distribution along the coast of Kenya.

Publications

Larval habitat diversity and mosquito species distribution along the coast of Kenya.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets