dynamAedes: a unified modelling framework for invasive Aedes mosquitoes

Abstract

AbstractMosquito species belonging to the genusAedeshave attracted the interest of scientists and public health officers because of their capacity to transmit viruses that affect humans. Some of these species were brought outside their native range by means of trade and tourism and then colonised new regions thanks to a unique combination of eco-physiological traits. Considering mosquito physiological and behavioural traits to understand and predict their population dynamics is thus a crucial step in developing strategies to mitigate the local densities of invasiveAedespopulations. Here, we synthesised the life cycle of four invasiveAedesspecies (Ae. aegypti,Ae. albopictus,Ae. japonicusandAe. koreicus) in a single multi-scale stochastic modelling framework which we coded in the R package . We designed a stage-based and time-discrete stochastic model driven by temperature, photo-period and inter-specific larval competition that can be applied to three different spatial scales: punctual, local and regional. These spatial scales consider different degrees of spatial complexity and data availability by accounting for both active and passive dispersal of mosquito species as well as for the heterogeneity of the input temperature data. Our overarching aim was to provide a flexible, open-source and user-friendly tool rooted in the most updated knowledge on the species’ biology which could be applied to the management of invasiveAedespopulations as well as to more theoretical ecological inquiries.Graphical Abstract