Real-time dispersal of malaria vectors in rural Africa monitored with lidar

Becker, Daniel, Jansson, Samuel, Malmqvist, Elin, Mlacha, Yeromin, Ignell, Rickard, Okumu, Fredros, Killeen, Gerry ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8583-8739, Kirkeby, Carsten and Brydegaard, Mikkel (2021) 'Real-time dispersal of malaria vectors in rural Africa monitored with lidar'. PLoS ONE, Vol 16, Issue 3, e0247803.

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Abstract

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.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	SJ and MB were supported in part by Innovationsfonden, Denmark, by the Swedish Research Council through grants to Lund Laser Centre and the Centre for Animal Movement Research. MB was further supported by Lund University and by a direct grant from the vice chancellor. CK and MB are co-founders and shareholders but not employees of FaunaPhotonics, and per written agreement FaunaPhotonics had no influence on the scientific reporting. MB is an employee of Norsk Elektro Optikk, which is a non-profit company owned by a foundation with the aim to support optics and art in Norway. Norsk Elektro Optikk provided support in the form of salary for MB, but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of MB are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section.
Subjects:	QX Parasitology > QX 20 Research (General) QX Parasitology > Insects. Other Parasites > QX 510 Mosquitoes WA Public Health > Health Problems of Special Population Groups > WA 395 Health in developing countries WC Communicable Diseases > Tropical and Parasitic Diseases > WC 750 Malaria
Faculty: Department:	Biological Sciences > Vector Biology Department
Digital Object Identifer (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0247803
Depositing User:	Stacy Murtagh
Date Deposited:	09 Mar 2021 16:49
Last Modified:	09 Mar 2021 16:49
URI:	https://archive.lstmed.ac.uk/id/eprint/17222

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