Research article - Peer-reviewed, 2021
Real-time dispersal of malaria vectors in rural Africa monitored with lidar
Jansson, Samuel; Malmqvist, Elin; Mlacha, Yeromin; Ignell, Rickard; Okumu, Fredros; Killeen, Gerry; Kirkeby, Carsten; Brydegaard, MikkelAbstract
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 ONE2021, volume: 16, number: 3, article number: e0247803
Publisher: PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE
Authors' information
Jansson, Samuel
Lund University
Malmqvist, Elin
Lund University
Mlacha, Yeromin
University of Basel
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Plant Protection Biology
Okumu, Fredros
University of Glasgow
Killeen, Gerry
Ifakara Health Institute
Kirkeby, Carsten
University of Copenhagen
Brydegaard, Mikkel
Lund University
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG3 Good health and wellbeing
UKÄ Subject classification
Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology
Zoology
Publication Identifiers
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0247803
URI (permanent link to this page)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/111500