RESUMO
Urban parks are areas designated for human recreation but also serve as shelter and refuge for populations of several species of native fauna, both migratory and introduced. In Brazil, the effect of annual climate variations on Aedes aegypti and dengue epidemics in large cities like São Paulo is well known, but little is known about how such variations can affect the diversity of mosquito vectors in urban parks and the risk of disease transmission by these vectors. This study investigates the influence of larval habitats and seasonal factors on the diversity and abundance of Culicidae fauna in Anhanguera Park, one of the largest remaining green areas in the city of São Paulo. Species composition and richness and larval habitats were identified. Seasonality (cold-dry and hot-rainy periods) and year were considered as explanatory variables and the models selection approach was developed to investigate the relationship of these variables with mosquito diversity and abundance. A total of 11,036 specimens from 57 taxa distributed in 13 genera were collected. Culex nigripalpus, Cx. quinquefasciatus and Aedes albopictus were the most abundant species. Bamboo internodes and artificial breeding sites showed higher abundance, while ponds and puddles showed greater richness. Significant relationships were observed between abundance and seasonality, with a notable increase in the mosquitos abundance in the warm-rainy periods. The Shannon and Berger-Parker indices were related with interaction between seasonality and year, however separately these predictors showed no relationship with ones. The increased abundance of mosquitoes in warm-rainy months and the fact that some of the species are epidemiologically important increase not only the risk of pathogen transmission to people who frequent urban parks but also the nuisance represented by insect bites. The findings of this study highlight the importance of knowledge of culicid ecology in green areas in urban environments.
Assuntos
Dengue/epidemiologia , Dípteros/fisiologia , Insetos Vetores/fisiologia , Animais , Brasil/epidemiologia , Cidades , Dengue/prevenção & controle , Dípteros/classificação , Ecossistema , Geografia , Humanos , Insetos Vetores/classificação , Larva/classificação , Larva/fisiologia , Controle de Mosquitos , Parques RecreativosRESUMO
We conducted an inventory of the mosquito fauna of the internodes of bamboo plants grown in municipal parks in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. During October 2010 to July 2013, a total of 8,541 immature stages belonging to 21 mosquito species were collected from bamboos over 61 municipal parks. Of these, Aedes albopictus was the most abundant species followed by Ae. aegypti found in broken bamboos in most parks. The former species was 7.2 times more abundant than the latter when both species shared the same habitat. Other species collected from bamboos included Culex quinquefasciatus and Haemagogus leucocelaenus. In bamboos with perforated internodes, species of the genus Wyeomyia were the most prevalent. Differences were also observed in species composition and abundance of mosquitoes collected in transversely broken bamboos and those collected from perforated bamboo internodes. Constant surveillance of these breeding sites is crucial due to the epidemiological importance of the species found. Furthermore, these breeding sites may help maintain some native wild mosquito populations along with a variety of other invertebrates found in these urban green areas.