Abstract

Lack of tools for detailed, real-time observation of mosquito behavior with high spatio-temporal resolution limits progress towards improved malaria vector control. We deployed a high-resolution entomological lidar to monitor a half-kilometer static transect positioned over rice fields outside a Tanzanian village. A quarter of a million in situ insect observations were classified, and several insect taxa were identified based on their modulation signatures. We observed distinct range distributions of male and female mosquitoes in relation to the village periphery, and spatio-temporal behavioral features, such as swarming. Furthermore, we observed that the spatial distributions of males and females change independently of each other during the day, and were able to estimate the daily dispersal of mosquitoes towards and away from the village. The findings of this study demonstrate how lidar-based monitoring could dramatically improve our understanding of malaria vector ecology and control options.

Published in

PLoS ONE
2021, Volume: 16, number: 3, article number: e0247803
Publisher: PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE

SLU Authors

• Ignell, Rickard

  • Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG3 Good health and well-being


UKÄ Subject classification

Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology
Zoology


Publication Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0247803

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/111500