Version 1
: Received: 1 December 2023 / Approved: 1 December 2023 / Online: 1 December 2023 (04:04:46 CET)
How to cite:
Groat-Carmona, A.M.; Velado-Cano, M.A.; González-Pérez, A.M.; Carmona-Galindo, V.D. Sex-Ratio Distortion of Aedes aegypti (L.) in El Salvador: Implications for Urban Ecology and Biocontrol in Seasonally Dry Neotropical Biomes. Preprints2023, 2023120024. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202312.0024.v1
Groat-Carmona, A.M.; Velado-Cano, M.A.; González-Pérez, A.M.; Carmona-Galindo, V.D. Sex-Ratio Distortion of Aedes aegypti (L.) in El Salvador: Implications for Urban Ecology and Biocontrol in Seasonally Dry Neotropical Biomes. Preprints 2023, 2023120024. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202312.0024.v1
Groat-Carmona, A.M.; Velado-Cano, M.A.; González-Pérez, A.M.; Carmona-Galindo, V.D. Sex-Ratio Distortion of Aedes aegypti (L.) in El Salvador: Implications for Urban Ecology and Biocontrol in Seasonally Dry Neotropical Biomes. Preprints2023, 2023120024. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202312.0024.v1
APA Style
Groat-Carmona, A.M., Velado-Cano, M.A., González-Pérez, A.M., & Carmona-Galindo, V.D. (2023). Sex-Ratio Distortion of <em>Aedes aegypti </em>(L.) in El Salvador: Implications for Urban Ecology and Biocontrol in Seasonally Dry Neotropical Biomes. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202312.0024.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Groat-Carmona, A.M., Ana Miriam González-Pérez and Víctor Daniel Carmona-Galindo. 2023 "Sex-Ratio Distortion of <em>Aedes aegypti </em>(L.) in El Salvador: Implications for Urban Ecology and Biocontrol in Seasonally Dry Neotropical Biomes" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202312.0024.v1
Abstract
Vector-borne disease (VBD) accounts for more than 17% of the global infectious disease burden, disproportionately affecting developing nations within tropical and subtropical areas. As Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are the principal vector for the transmission of many Public Health pathogens, our study examined their population dynamics within the seasonal context of tropical dry biomes in El Salvador as incidence of VBD in this region has increased in recent years. Species that rely on sexual reproduction must maintain a balanced sex ratio (1:1) to support their population dynamics, however, our phenological analysis of field-collected A. aegypti specimens revealed significant sex ratio variations during dry and wet seasons. Interestingly, we detected a seasonal shift that favored female mosquitoes during the dry season, highlighting the dynamic nature of mosquito populations in highly urbanized environments like El Salvador. By linking sex ratio distortions to anthropogenic factors, our study underscores the importance of comprehensively characterizing the urban ecology of vectors for the development of effective biocontrol strategies. As such, we advocate for more nuanced vector control approaches that consider ecological factors as well as the human behaviors that influence mosquito breeding habitats to effectively combat the rise of VBDs amid global climate changes.
Keywords
Neotropics; Northern Triangle of Central America; phenology; tropical dry forests; urban biology; vector ecology; vector-borne disease.
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Life Sciences
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
