1
|
Silva GGD, Lopez VM, Vilarinho AC, Datto-Liberato FH, Oliveira CJF, Poulin R, Guillermo-Ferreira R. Vector species richness predicts local mortality rates from Chagas disease. Int J Parasitol 2024; 54:139-145. [PMID: 37944883 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2023.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Vector species richness may drive the prevalence of vector-borne diseases by influencing pathogen transmission rates. The dilution effect hypothesis predicts that higher biodiversity reduces disease prevalence, but with inconclusive evidence. In contrast, the amplification effect hypothesis suggests that higher vector diversity may result in greater disease transmission by increasing and diversifying the transmission pathways. The relationship between vector diversity and pathogen transmission remains unclear and requires further study. Chagas disease is a vector-borne disease most prevalent in Brazil and transmitted by multiple species of insect vectors of the subfamily Triatominae, yet the drivers of spatial variation in its impact on human populations remain unresolved. We tested whether triatomine species richness, latitude, bioclimatic variables, human host population density, and socioeconomic variables predict Chagas disease mortality rates across over 5000 spatial grid cells covering all of Brazil. Results show that species richness of triatomine vectors is a good predictor of mortality rates caused by Chagas disease, which supports the amplification effect hypothesis. Vector richness and the impact of Chagas disease may also be driven by latitudinal components of climate and human socioeconomic factors. We provide evidence that vector diversity is a strong predictor of disease prevalence and give support to the amplification effect hypothesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guilherme Gonzaga da Silva
- Lestes Laboratory, Center of Entomology and Experimental Biology, Federal University of Triangulo Mineiro - UFTM, Uberaba, MG, Brazil; Federal University of Sao Carlos - UFSCar, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Vinicius Marques Lopez
- Lestes Laboratory, Center of Entomology and Experimental Biology, Federal University of Triangulo Mineiro - UFTM, Uberaba, MG, Brazil; Graduate Program in Entomology, University of Sao Paulo - USP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Ana Carolina Vilarinho
- Federal University of Sao Carlos - UFSCar, São Carlos, SP, Brazil; Health Sciences Institute, Federal University of Triangulo Mineiro - UFTM, Uberaba, MG, Brazil
| | - Felipe H Datto-Liberato
- Lestes Laboratory, Center of Entomology and Experimental Biology, Federal University of Triangulo Mineiro - UFTM, Uberaba, MG, Brazil; Graduate Program in Entomology, University of Sao Paulo - USP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Carlo José Freire Oliveira
- Graduate Program in Tropical Medicine and Infectiology, Department of Natural and Biological Sciences, Federal University of Triangulo Mineiro - UFTM, Uberaba, MG, Brazil
| | - Robert Poulin
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
| | - Rhainer Guillermo-Ferreira
- Lestes Laboratory, Center of Entomology and Experimental Biology, Federal University of Triangulo Mineiro - UFTM, Uberaba, MG, Brazil; Federal University of Sao Carlos - UFSCar, São Carlos, SP, Brazil; Graduate Program in Entomology, University of Sao Paulo - USP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil; Graduate Program in Tropical Medicine and Infectiology, Department of Natural and Biological Sciences, Federal University of Triangulo Mineiro - UFTM, Uberaba, MG, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Lopez VM, Azevedo Tosta TA, da Silva GG, Bartholomay PR, Williams KA, Guillermo-Ferreira R. Color lightness of velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) follows an environmental gradient. J Therm Biol 2021; 100:103030. [PMID: 34503777 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2021.103030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Revised: 05/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Color traits are highly influenced by environmental conditions along the distributional range of many species. Studies on the variation of animal coloration across different geographic gradients are, therefore, fundamental for a better understanding of the ecological and evolutionary processes that shape color variation. Here, we address whether color lightness in velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) responds to latitudinal gradients and bioclimatic variations, testing three ecogeographic rules: The Thermal melanism hypothesis; the Photoprotection hypothesis; and Gloger's rule. We test these hypotheses across the New World. We used photographs of 482 specimens (n = 142 species) of female mutillid wasps and extracted data on color lightness (V). We analyzed whether variation in color is determined by bioclimatic factors, using Phylogenetic Generalized Least Square analysis. Our explanatory variables were temperature, ultraviolet radiation, humidity, and forest indicators. Our results were consistent with the Photoprotection hypothesis and Gloger's rule. Species with darker coloration occupied habitats with more vegetation, higher humidity, and UV-B radiation. However, our results refute one of the initial hypotheses suggesting that mutillids do not respond to the predictions of the Thermal melanism hypothesis. The results presented here provide the first evidence that abiotic components of the environment can act as ecological filters and as selective forces driving the body coloration of velvet ants. Finally, we suggest that studies using animals with melanin-based colors as a model for mimetic and aposematic coloration hypotheses consider that this coloration may also be under the influence of climatic factors and not only predators.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vinicius Marques Lopez
- Graduate Program in Entomology, Department of Biology, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, 14040-901, Brazil; Lestes Lab, Department of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Triangulo Mineiro, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
| | | | - Guilherme Gonzaga da Silva
- Lestes Lab, Department of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Triangulo Mineiro, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Graduate Program in Ecology and Natural Resources, Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, Brazil
| | | | - Kevin Andrew Williams
- Plant Pest Diagnostics Center, California Department of Food & Agriculture, 3294 Meadowview Road, Sacramento, CA, 95832, USA
| | - Rhainer Guillermo-Ferreira
- Graduate Program in Entomology, Department of Biology, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, 14040-901, Brazil; Lestes Lab, Department of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Triangulo Mineiro, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Graduate Program in Ecology and Natural Resources, Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|