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. 2009 Nov 7;276(1674):3769-75.
doi: 10.1098/rspb.2009.0998. Epub 2009 Aug 12.

Evidence for regular ongoing introductions of mosquito disease vectors into the Galapagos Islands

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Evidence for regular ongoing introductions of mosquito disease vectors into the Galapagos Islands

Arnaud Bataille et al. Proc Biol Sci. .

Abstract

Wildlife on isolated oceanic islands is highly susceptible to the introduction of pathogens. The recent establishment in the Galápagos Islands of the mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus, a vector for diseases such as avian malaria and West Nile fever, is considered a serious risk factor for the archipelago's endemic fauna. Here we present evidence from the monitoring of aeroplanes and genetic analysis that C. quinquefasciatus is regularly introduced via aircraft into the Galápagos Archipelago. Genetic population structure and admixture analysis demonstrates that these mosquitoes breed with, and integrate successfully into, already-established populations of C. quinquefasciatus in the Galápagos, and that there is ongoing movement of mosquitoes between islands. Tourist cruise boats and inter-island boat services are the most likely mechanism for transporting Culex mosquitoes between islands. Such anthropogenic mosquito movements increase the risk of the introduction of mosquito-borne diseases novel to Galápagos and their subsequent widespread dissemination across the archipelago. Failure to implement and maintain measures to prevent the human-assisted transport of mosquitoes to and among the islands could have catastrophic consequences for the endemic wildlife of Galápagos.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Mosquito sampling sites in the Galápagos Islands (dots) and in mainland Ecuador (stars). The numbers beside the sampling sites correspond to the number of Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes collected. The aeroplane images indicate flight paths to Galápagos from mainland Ecuador. The numbers in parentheses beside aeroplane images indicate the number of C. quinquefasciatus mosquitoes caught in aeroplanes arriving on those flight paths. MEN, mainland Ecuador North; MEG, mainland Ecuador Guayaquil; MES, mainland Ecuador South.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Clustering of Culex quinquefasciatus individuals from the Galápagos Islands and mainland Ecuador based on the Structure 2.2 algorithm (Pritchard et al. 2000). Each of 343 individuals is represented by a vertical bar partitioned in colours segmented according to the probability of belonging to one of the K genetic clusters. (a) No prior information on population is given and K is defined as the number of genetic clusters that best fit with the data (here K = 5, identified by the five colours in the graph). (b) Prior information on population is given (K = 8, according to geographical locations) to detect potential migrants. Mosquitoes caught in aeroplanes are grouped and indicated by an aeroplane image. Potential migrants are identified by an arrow. MEN, mainland Ecuador North; MEG, mainland Ecuador Guayaquil; MES, mainland Ecuador South.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Plot of the Eigen-values for the two first components of the principal component analysis (PCA) performed on Culex quinquefasciatus populations from Galápagos Islands and mainland Ecuador. IS, Isabela; SX, Santa Cruz; SC, San Cristobal; BA, Baltra; FL, Floreana; MEN, mainland Ecuador North; MES, mainland Ecuador South; MEG, mainland Ecuador Guayaquil.

References

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