In the past decade, developing countries have been experiencing rapid land use and land cover changes, including deforestation and cultivation of previously forested land. However, little is known about the impact of deforestation and land-use changes on the life history of malaria vectors and their effects on malaria transmission. This study examined the effects of deforestation and crop cultivation on the adult survivorship of major malaria mosquitoes, Anopheles sinensis and An. minimus in the China-Myanmar border region. We examined three conditions: indoor, forested, and banana plantation. Mean survival time of An. sinensis in banana plantation environment was significantly longer than those in forested environment, and mosquitoes exhibited the longest longevity in the indoor environment. This pattern held for both males and females, and also for An. minimus. To further test the effect of temperature on mosquito survival, we used two study sites with different elevation and ambient temperatures. Significantly higher survivorship of both species was found in sites with lower elevation and higher ambient temperature. Increased vector survival in the deforested area could have an important impact on malaria transmission in Southeast Asia. Understanding how deforestation impacts vector survivorship can help combat malaria transmission.
Program in Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America;Program in Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America;Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control for Emerging Infectious Diseases of Guangdong Higher Institutes, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China;National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, People's Republic of China;Program in Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America;Department of Pathogen Biology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China;Program in Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America;Program in Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America;Department of Entomology, the Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, United States of America;National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, People's Republic of China;Program in Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
Recommended Citation:
Daibin Zhong,Xiaoming Wang,Tielong Xu,et al. Effects of Microclimate Condition Changes Due to Land Use and Land Cover Changes on the Survivorship of Malaria Vectors in China-Myanmar Border Region[J]. PLOS ONE,2016-01-01,11(5)