A longitudinal study conducted between February 2021 and June 2022 in Bengaluru city has found how urbanisation affects mosquito ecology and how mosquito species diversity and abundance changes across macro and microhabitats. The study found that the quality of breeding sites determines the abundance and distribution of mosquito species, specifically the ones that cause dengue.
While water containers, discarded grinding stones, tyres and plastic containers served as perfect man-made larval habitats, the way mosquitoes interact with larval habitats in different macrohabitats did play an important role in determining mosquito diversity and abundance. Whereas plantations, owing to diverse habitat types, proved to have high mosquito species diversity and richness compared with high-density populated areas in the city, even barren lands did have microhabitats conducive for breeding.
The results of the study, posted in the medRxiv preprint server, are yet to be peer-reviewed.
