Sharma Gaurav, Khan Zainab, Das Deepanker, Singh Surya, Singh Samradhi, Kumar Manoj, Tiwari R R, Sarma Devojit Kumar
ICMR-National Institute for Research in Environmental Health, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.
ICMR-National Institute of Research in Tribal Health, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Parasit Vectors. 2025 Jul 11;18(1):279. doi: 10.1186/s13071-025-06924-7.
The geographic expansion of Aedes aegypti, an arboviral disease vector of global importance, is driven by urbanization, global travel, and climate change. Temperature significantly impacts the life cycle, distribution, and vectorial capacity of disease vectors. This study investigates the effects of temperature on the developmental biology, survival, reproductive traits, and wing morphometry of Ae. aegypti populations from central India (Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh).
Larvae collected from the field were reared at controlled temperatures, on the basis of the historical and projected temperature changes, ranging from 10 ℃ to 40 ℃. Aedes stage-specific developmental times and survivorship rates were determined and compared. The right wings of male and female mosquitoes reared at 20 °C, 26 °C, and 32 °C were used for morphometric analysis on the basis of the digitized coordinates of 18 landmarks on the wing veins.
Higher temperature (32 °C) significantly accelerated life cycle completion, whereas 37 ℃ led to larval survival but high pupal mortality. In contrast, moderate temperatures (26 °C) optimized survival, reproductive output, and extended oviposition periods. Life table analysis revealed that elevated temperatures, particularly at 32 ℃, increased the intrinsic rate of population growth (r) and shortened generation times, indicating faster population turnover under warmer conditions. However, this rapid life cycle presents trade-offs, including lower survival and reproductive success, which could significantly impact vector population dynamics in the context of climate-driven temperature fluctuations. Wing morphometric analysis further revealed that mosquitoes reared at 32 °C and 26 °C had significantly smaller wings compared with those reared at 20 °C. Although smaller wings may limit dispersal capacity, previous studies suggest a possible link with increased host-seeking and enhanced vectorial potential at 32 °C.
This study highlights that Ae. aegypti populations from Central India exhibit thermal tolerance and developmental plasticity under elevated temperatures, suggesting their potential to thrive in warm climates. Rapid development and smaller wing size at higher temperatures may influence survival, fecundity, and biting behavior. Such traits can enhance disease transmission risks by supporting more frequent human-vector contact and sustaining mosquito populations in broader geographic areas.
埃及伊蚊是一种具有全球重要性的虫媒病毒病媒介，其地理分布范围的扩大受城市化、全球旅行和气候变化的推动。温度对病媒的生命周期、分布和传播能力有显著影响。本研究调查了温度对印度中部（中央邦博帕尔）埃及伊蚊种群的发育生物学、生存、生殖特征和翅形态测量的影响。
根据历史和预测的温度变化，将从野外采集的幼虫在10℃至40℃的可控温度下饲养。确定并比较了埃及伊蚊各阶段的发育时间和存活率。对在20℃、26℃和32℃饲养的雄蚊和雌蚊的右翅，根据翅脉上18个地标点的数字化坐标进行形态测量分析。
较高温度（32℃）显著加速了生命周期的完成，而37℃导致幼虫存活但蛹死亡率很高。相比之下，中等温度（26℃）使存活率、生殖产出和产卵期得到优化。生命表分析表明，温度升高，特别是在32℃时，增加了种群内禀增长率（r）并缩短了世代时间，表明在温暖条件下种群更替更快。然而，这种快速的生命周期存在权衡，包括较低的存活率和生殖成功率，这在气候驱动的温度波动背景下可能会显著影响病媒种群动态。翅形态测量分析进一步显示，与在20℃饲养的蚊子相比，在32℃和26℃饲养的蚊子翅膀明显更小。虽然较小的翅膀可能会限制扩散能力，但先前的研究表明在32℃时可能与增加寻找宿主和增强传播潜力有关。
本研究强调，印度中部的埃及伊蚊种群在温度升高时表现出耐热性和发育可塑性，表明它们有在温暖气候中繁衍的潜力。较高温度下的快速发育和较小的翅尺寸可能会影响生存、繁殖力和叮咬行为。这些特征通过支持更频繁的人与病媒接触以及在更广泛的地理区域维持蚊子种群，可增加疾病传播风险。
