Spatial and temporal variation in biting midge (Culicoides) abundance in active nest boxes

Abstract

Due to recent and projected global warming, the fitness landscape of organisms can be predicted to change. One of the consequences of climate change is an increased risk of being infected by pathogens. Many of these pathogens are relying on vectors for transmission. As most vectors are ectotherms, with a tight relationship to ambient temperature for e.g. activity, temperature-dependent variation in vector density may be the mechanism explaining increasing parasitemia. In this study, we estimate the abundance of biting midges (Culicoides spp), a vector of Haemoproteus parasites, by placing sticky traps within nest boxes of breeding blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus). We found that average minimum temperatures positively affect the abundance of midges. Thus, with recent and predicted higher temperatures, the encounter rate between hosts and vectors will increase with a resulting higher parasitemia. Marked differences in spring temperatures will also result in cohort effects, with whole generations of first-year birds being more or less infected by the parasites with yearly effects on recruitment rate and total host densities. Furthermore, we found pronounced temporal and spatial variation within years. This will put increasing emphasis on breeding parents to use cues indicating high vector abundances when determining breeding timing and choice of breeding habitat.