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1 May 2009 Diversity Cascades and Malaria Vectors
John C. Carlson, Lee A. Dyer, Francois X. Omlin, John C. Beier
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Abstract

The interactions between predator diversity and primary consumer abundance can include direct effects and indirect, cascading effects. Understanding these effects on immature Anopheles mosquitoes is important in sub-Saharan Africa, where most cases of malaria occur. Aquatic predators and immature mosquitoes were collected from shallow pools of varying age previously excavated by brickmakers in the western highlands of Kenya. Path analysis showed an indirect negative effect of habitat age on An. gambiae (Giles, 1902) mediated by effects on predator diversity. Disturbance resets habitats to an earlier successional stage, diminishing predator diversity and increasing An. gambiae populations. The increase in vector abundance as a result of reduced predator diversity highlights the public health value in conserving native insect diversity.

© 2009 Entomological Society of America
John C. Carlson, Lee A. Dyer, Francois X. Omlin, and John C. Beier "Diversity Cascades and Malaria Vectors," Journal of Medical Entomology 46(3), 460-464, (1 May 2009). https://doi.org/10.1603/033.046.0307
Received: 4 December 2008; Accepted: 1 December 2008; Published: 1 May 2009
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KEYWORDS
Anopheles gambiae
diversity
Kenya
malaria
trophic cascades
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