E. A. Mordecai

Local tree cover predicts mosquito species richness and disease vector presence in a tropical countryside landscape

The paper examines how local tree cover affects mosquito species richness and disease vector presence in tropical landscapes, finding tree cover supports biodiversity and reduces vector presence at small spatial scales.

How much warming can mosquito vectors tolerate?

This study estimates thermal safety margins for 8 mosquito species across their ranges to assess vulnerability to climate warming, finding higher vulnerability in subtropical regions and desert biomes.

Climate and urbanization drive changes in the habitat suitability of Schistosoma mansoni competent snails in Brazil

The paper uses machine learning and remote sensing to analyze 30 years of snail occurrence data in Brazil, showing climate change and urbanization have altered Biomphalaria habitat suitability.

Temperature dependence of mosquitoes: comparing mechanistic and machine learning approaches

This study compares mechanistic and machine learning approaches to estimate mosquito thermal responses, finding strong agreement for thermal minima but less for optima between lab and field data.

Temperature and intraspecific variation affect host-parasite interactions

The paper examines how temperature and intraspecific variation affect host-parasite interactions in aquatic ecosystems using a mosquito and its parasite model system.

A mosquito parasite is locally adapted to its host but not temperature

This study shows that the mosquito parasite Lambornella clarki is locally adapted to its host but not temperature, with higher infection rates on sympatric host populations.

Abnormal weather drives disease outbreaks in wild and agricultural plants

The paper shows how abnormal weather influences disease outbreaks in both wild and agricultural plants, finding that historical climate affects wild plants while warming increases agricultural disease risks.

Mosquito thermal tolerance is remarkably constrained across a large climatic range

This study examines thermal tolerance variation in Aedes sierrensis across a climatic gradient, finding limited variation in upper thermal limits but local adaptation in pupal development.

Phylogenetic and biogeographical traits predict unrecognized hosts of zoonotic leishmaniasis

The paper uses machine learning to predict unrecognized wildlife hosts of zoonotic Leishmania by analyzing biogeography, phylogenetic distance, and environmental traits.

Data-Driven Predictions of Potential Leishmania Vectors in Latin America

This paper uses machine learning to predict potential Leishmania vectors in Latin America based on sandfly traits and environmental factors, identifying two new potential vectors.

Temperature impacts on dengue incidence are nonlinear and mediated by climatic and socioeconomic factors

This study examines how temperature affects dengue incidence globally, finding nonlinear relationships influenced by climatic and socioeconomic factors.

Land-use planning for health: Tradeoffs and nonlinearities govern how land-use change impacts vector-borne disease risk

This study models how land-use changes affect vector-borne disease risk, finding nonlinear relationships and tradeoffs across different diseases.

Physiology and ecology together regulate host and vector importance for Ross River virus and other vector-borne diseases

The paper develops a model integrating physiological and ecological traits to assess host and vector roles in RRV transmission, finding humans are important hosts due to vector feeding behavior and abundance.

Scaling effects of temperature on parasitism from individuals to host-parasite systems

The paper examines how temperature affects parasitism at individual and population levels in different host-parasite systems and finds thermal optima are correlated in vector-borne systems but not in environmentally-transmitted ones.

Understanding the emergence of contingent and deterministic exclusion in multispecies communities

The paper develops a theoretical framework to explain deterministic and contingent competitive exclusion in multispecies communities using an empirical plant competition system.

Habitat type and interannual variation shape unique fungal pathogen communities on a California native bunchgrass

The study examines how habitat type and interannual variation influence fungal pathogen communities and disease burden in the grass Stipa pulchra.

Effects of temperature on Zika dynamics and control

This study uses a temperature-dependent dynamical model to analyze how temperature variability affects Zika virus transmission, finding that temperature is the dominant driver of epidemic dynamics.

Household and climate factors influence Aedes aegypti risk in the arid city of Huaquillas, Ecuador

This study identifies household and climate factors influencing Aedes aegypti presence in Huaquillas, Ecuador, finding that longer residency, higher occupancy, female-headed households, and unreliable water supply increase risk, while septic systems reduce it.

Native perennial and non-native annual grasses shape pathogen community composition and disease severity in a California grassland

The paper examines how native perennial and non-native annual grasses influence pathogen community composition and disease severity in a California grassland, finding distinct pathogen communities but no significant density effects.

Transmission of West Nile and other temperate mosquito-borne viruses peaks at intermediate environmental temperatures

The paper models temperature-dependent transmission of mosquito-borne viruses and finds optimal transmission at intermediate temperatures, with implications for climate change impacts.

Climate predicts geographic and temporal variation in mosquito-borne disease dynamics on two continents

The paper develops a climate-driven model to predict mosquito-borne disease dynamics in Ecuador and Kenya, showing it captures outbreak characteristics with variable accuracy.

Impact of prior and projected climate change on US Lyme disease incidence

This study examines the impact of climate change on Lyme disease incidence in the US using historical data and climate projections, finding regional variations and significant increases in the Northeast under high-emission scenarios.

Susceptible host availability modulates climate effects on dengue dynamics

The paper identifies how climate effects on dengue dynamics depend on susceptible host availability using empirical dynamic modeling in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Mosquito species and age influence thermal performance of traits relevant to malaria transmission

This study compares temperature-dependent transmission models using daily trait values versus lifetime trait values in Anopheles stephensi, showing differences in temperature suitability for malaria transmission.

Climate drives spatial variation in Zika epidemics in Latin America

This study assesses the role of climate in Zika virus transmission across Latin America, finding that climate factors explain spatial variation but not weekly transmission intensity.

More than a flying syringe: Using functional traits in vector borne disease research

This paper presents a framework for incorporating vector functional trait variation into disease transmission models to better understand and predict vector-borne disease dynamics.

Mosquito and primate ecology predict human risk of yellow fever virus spillover in Brazil

The paper develops a mechanistic model to predict yellow fever spillover risk in Brazil by integrating mosquito and primate ecology with environmental and demographic factors.

Priority effects and non-hierarchical competition shape species composition in a complex grassland community

The paper uses a population dynamic model to show that priority effects and non-hierarchical competition shape species composition in invaded grassland communities, with exotics outcompeting natives and exotic dominance driven by strong interspecific competition.

Temperature drives Zika virus transmission: evidence from empirical and mathematical models

The paper estimates the thermal performance of Zika virus in Aedes aegypti and updates a temperature-dependent model to show that Zika transmission is optimized at 29°C with a thermal range of 22.7–34.7°C.

Seasonal temperature variation influences climate suitability for dengue, chikungunya, and Zika transmission

This study develops a dynamic transmission model to examine how seasonal temperature variation affects dengue, chikungunya, and Zika virus epidemics, finding that intermediate temperatures produce the largest epidemics.