Wing morphometric variability in Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) from different urban built environments

Author(s)

Wilk-da-Silva, Ramon ^[1] ; de Souza Leal Diniz, Morgana Michele Cavalcanti ^[1] ; Marrelli, Mauro Toledo ^[1] ; Bruno Wilke, Andre Barretto ^{[1, 2]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Saude Publ, Dept Epidemiol, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Miami, Miller Sch Med, Dept Publ Hlth Sci, Miami, FL 33136 - USA

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: PARASITES & VECTORS; v. 11, OCT 26 2018.
• Web of Science Citations: 2

Abstract

Background: Aedes aegypti is the main vector of the dengue, Zika and several other arboviruses. It is highly adapted to urbanized environments and can be found worldwide. Mosquito population control is considered the best strategy for fighting mosquito-borne diseases, making an understanding of their population dynamics vital for the development of more effective vector control programs. This study therefore sought to investigate how different levels of urbanization affect Aedes aegypti populations and modulate population structure in this species with the aid of wing geometric morphometrics. Methods: Specimens were collected from eleven locations in three areas with distinct levels of urbanization in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil: conserved, intermediate and urbanized. The right wings of female mosquitoes collected were removed, and photographed and digitized. Canonical variate analysis and Mahalanobis distance were used to investigate the degree of wing-shape dissimilarity among populations. Thin-plate splines were calculated by regression analysis of Canonical Variation Analysis scores against wing-shape variation, and a cross-validated reclassification was performed for each individual; a neighbor-joining tree was then constructed. Results: Metapopulation and individual population analysis showed a clear segregation pattern in the Canonical Variation Analysis. Pairwise cross-validated reclassification yielded relatively high scores considering the microgeographical scale of the study and the fact that the study populations belong to the same species. The neighbor-joining tree showed that mosquitoes in the intermediate urban area segregated in the metapopulation and individual population analyses. Our findings show significant population structuring in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the areas studied. This is related to the different degrees of urbanization in the areas where the specimens were collected along with their geographical location. Conclusions: Urbanization processes in the study areas appear to play an important role in microevolutionary processes triggered by man-made modifications in the environment, resulting in a previously unknown population structuring pattern of major epidemiological importance. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 15/01172-5 - Analysis of the population structure of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of parks in the city of São Paulo, using microsatellites and wing morphometry
• Grantee: Ramon Wilk da Silva
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• FAPESP's process: 13/15313-4 - Analysis of the population structure of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) using microsatellite markers and wing morphometry
• Grantee: Mauro Toledo Marrelli
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants