Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus abundance, landscape coverage and spectral indices effects in a subtropical city of Argentina

Abstract

The presence, abundance and distribution of Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (Linnaeus 1762) and Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse 1894) could be conditioned by different data obtained from satellite remote sensors. In this paper, we aim to estimate the effect of landscape coverage and spectral indices on the abundance of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus from the use of satellite remote sensors in Eldorado, Misiones, Argentina. Larvae of Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus were collected monthly from June 2016 to April 2018, in four outdoor environments: tire repair shops, cemeteries, family dwellings, and an urban natural park. The proportion of each land cover class was determined by Sentinel-2 image classification. Furthermore spectral indices were calculated. Generalized Linear Mixed Models were developed to analyze the possible effects of landscape coverage and vegetation indices on the abundance of mosquitoes. The models results showed the abundance of Ae. aegypti was better modeled by the minimum values of the NDVI index, the maximum values of the NDBI index and the interaction between both variables. In contrast, the abundance of Ae. albopictus has to be better explained by the model that includes the variables bare soil, low vegetation and the interaction between both variables.