Mosquito borne diseases are of the most deadly and infectious known causing millions of deaths every year. Mosquitoes survive in various climates and are present all over the world. It is important to have an up to date record on their movement and distribution as this will allow for scientists and the public to plan for mosquito borne disease outbreaks such as Dengue Fever, Malaria or Chikungunya.
Researchers, Hopperstad and Reiskind, recently revisited and studied the distribution of two mosquito species: Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in south Florida. These mosquitoes are capable of spreading dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika fever, Mayaro and yellow fever viruses. The two species’ habitat segregation has been long known and studied. Some reasons for these differences include: larval competition, mating interference, urban variables, landscape and climatic conditions.
This study was conducted to follow the study performed in 2006-07 to compare and examine the resulting distribution of the two species. The site observed was located in Palm Beach County with a range of 15km from the coast.
Data showed that “Aedes aegypti predominated at and near the urbanized coast, while Aedes albopictus was more abundant inland.” It was also noted that since the 2006-07 study, the Aedes Aegypti distribution had expanded inland. There are many possible reasons for this such as the fact that Aedes aegypti tolerate dry conditions better than Aedes albopictus or the possibility that Aedes Aegypti are expanding to avoid hetero-specific mating or simply random geographic differences.
In order to conclude a reason for the distribution, this area and mosquito distribution in general should be timely monitored and studied.
Refer to this link for the published paper.