Niche and Range Shifts of <i>Aedes aegypti</i> and <i>Ae. albopictus</i> Suggest That the Latecomer Shows a Greater Invasiveness

The yellow fever (<i>Aedes aegypti</i>) and Asian tiger (<i>Ae. albopictus</i>) mosquitos are major vectors of global mosquito-borne pathogens. However, their niche and range shifts, the underlying mechanisms, and related relative invasion rates remain scarcely known. We exam...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Peixiao Nie, Jianmeng Feng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-10-01
Series:Insects
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/14/10/810
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Summary:The yellow fever (<i>Aedes aegypti</i>) and Asian tiger (<i>Ae. albopictus</i>) mosquitos are major vectors of global mosquito-borne pathogens. However, their niche and range shifts, the underlying mechanisms, and related relative invasion rates remain scarcely known. We examined the niche and range shifts between the native and invasive <i>Ae. aegypti</i> and <i>Ae</i>. <i>albopictus</i> populations through dynamic niche and range models and the largest occurrence record datasets to date. We detected substantial niche and range expansions in both species, probably because the introduced populations have more opportunities to acclimate to diverse environmental conditions than their native counterparts. Mitigating climate change could effectively control their future invasions, given that future climate changes could promote their invasiveness. Additionally, compared to the introduced <i>Ae. aegypti</i>, the more recent invader <i>Ae. albopictus</i> had greater niche and range expansion over its shorter invasion history. In terms of the range shifts, <i>Ae. albopictus</i> had an invasion rate approximately 13.3 times faster than that of <i>Ae. aegypti</i>, making it a more invasive vector of global mosquito-borne pathogens. Therefore, considering its higher invasion rate, much more attention should be paid to <i>Ae. albopictus</i> in devising our strategies against prevailing global mosquito-borne pathogens than <i>Ae. aegypti</i>. Since small niche shifts could result in their large range shifts, niche shifts might be a more important indicator for biological invasion assessments.
ISSN:2075-4450