Investigating the role of urban vegetation alongside other environmental variables in shaping Aedes albopictus presence and abundance in Montpellier, France
Listed in
This article is not in any list yet, why not save it to one of your lists.Abstract
Urban greening helps address urbanization challenges and provides health benefits, but it may also favor mosquito species, vectors of pathogens causing human diseases. This study examines the relationship between urban vegetation and the presence and abundance of Aedes albopictus in Montpellier, the second greenest city of France, while accounting for meteorology, microclimate, air quality, human socio-demography, and landscape.
From May to October 2023, adult mosquitoes were collected monthly in urban parks, residential areas, and the impervious city center using BG-Pro traps with odor and CO₂ attractants. Microclimate data were recorded on-site. Vegetation, land cover, meteorological, air quality, and human demographic data were gathered from open-access databases. Ae. albopictus presence and abundance were analysed according to environmental variables taken at different time lags and spatial distances using a two-stage modeling approach: bivariate analyses using generalized linear mixed models were conducted to select variables for inclusion in a multivariate random forest model, aiming to identify the factors that best explain Ae. albopictus presence and abundance.
While urban vegetation had a limited effect on Ae. albopictus presence, number of patches and the percentage of area covered by low vegetation were among the most important predictors of abundance. The main predictors for presence were minimum hourly temperature (24h-48h before sampling), minimum atmospheric pressure during sampling, and the weekly cumulated rainfall recorded six weeks before sampling. The most important predictors of abundance were maximum hourly temperatures during sampling, cumulated growing degree days (GDD) during two weeks preceding sampling and the length and patch size of roads. To our knowledge, this is the first study examining urban vegetation’s influence on Ae. albopictus in France, offering insights for urban planning and suggesting further research on vegetation’s role in mosquito-borne disease transmission, particularly in the context of increasing dengue incidence in Europe.
Author summary
Urban greening is often promoted as a solution to the challenges posed by increasing urbanization, offering numerous environmental and societal benefits. However, it may also create favorable conditions for mosquito vector species such as Aedes albopictus . Only two studies in Europe—both conducted in Italy—have investigated the impact of urban vegetation on the presence and abundance of Ae. albopictus . This study explores this relationship in Montpellier, the second greenest city in France, while considering meteorology, microclimate, air quality, human socio-demographic factors, and landscape characteristics. Using a two-stage modeling approach, we first performed bivariate analyses with generalized linear mixed models to select relevant variables, which were then integrated into a multivariate random forest model to identify the key predictors of Ae. albopictus presence and abundance. Our results indicate that urban vegetation does not significantly influence Ae. albopictus presence but is among the most important predictors of its abundance. These findings provide valuable insights for urban planning and highlight the need for further research on the role of vegetation in mosquito-borne disease transmission.
