Disentangling the influence of urbanization and invasion on endemic geckos in tropical biodiversity hot spots : a case study of Phyllodactylus martini (Squamata: Phyllodactylidae) along an Urban Gradient in Curaçao

Author Posting. © Peabody Museum of Natural History, 2016. This article is posted here by permission of Peabody Museum of Natural History for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History 57(2016): 147–164, doi:10.3374/014.057.0209.Predicting the response of endemic species to urbanization has emerged as a fundamental challenge in 21st century conservation biology. The factors that underlie population declines of reptiles are particularly nebulous, as these are often the least understood class of vertebrates in a given community. In this study, we assess correlations between feeding ecology and phenotypic traits of the Lesser Antillean endemic Dutch leaf-toed gecko, Phyllodactylus martini, along an urban gradient in the Caribbean island of Curaçao. There has been a marked decline of this species in developed habitats associated with the invasive tropical house gecko Hemidactylus mabouia. We find a correlation between aspects of locomotor morphology and prey in undeveloped habitats that is absent in developed habitats. Analyses of stomach contents further suggest that Phyllodactylus martini alters primary prey items in developed areas. However, changes in prey promote the overlap in foraging niches between Phyllodactylus martini and Hemidactylus mabouia, suggesting that direct resource competition is contributing to the decline of Phyllodactylus martini. In addition to competitive exclusion, we suggest that the urban extirpation of Phyllodactylus martini could also be attributed to a top-down control on population growth by Hemidactylus mabouia. Colonizations of walls put Phyllodactylus martini in direct contact with Hemidactylus mabouia increasing the chances for predation events, as evidenced by our observation of a predation event on a Phyllodactylus martini juvenile by an adult Hemidactylus mabuoia. In total, our results add to a growing body of literature demonstrating the threat that invasive synanthropic reptiles pose to endemics that might otherwise be able to cope with increased urbanization pressures

Arbovirosis endemicas y epidemicas en Ecuador

Arboviruses are arthropod-borne viruses that include many viruses of public health concern found in Ecuador. Dengue virus, yellow fever virus and Zika virus are in the Flaviridae family (1), while chikungunya virus and Mayaro virus are in the Togaviridae family (1). Yellow fever has circulated throughout the tropics since at least the17th century, with the first recorded outbreak in Latin America in 1647 (2), with the virus being identified in 1927 (3). Dengue virus is also a long-time source of global outbreaks and was identified in 1943 (4). Dengue has four virus serotypes (DENV 1-4), allowing for repeated infection of individuals. Chikungunya, Zika and Mayaro were identified as causes of febrile disease more recently: the Zika virus was isolated from a monkey in 1947 in Uganda (5), chikungunya virus during an outbreak in south-eastern Africa in 1952 (1), and Mayaro virus from a patient in Trinidad in 1954 (6). Chikungunya has four genotypes: East/Central/South African, Western African, Indian Ocean and Asian (1), while Zika has two genetics lineages: Asian and African (7). Ecuador is susceptible to introductions of arboviruses transmitted by several mosquito vectors that are either well established or recently introduced and has thus experienced multiple and repeated introductions of these diseases. Of these, at present, only yellow fever has a widely available and licensed vaccine.Los arbovirus son virus transmitidos por artrópodos que incluyen muchos virus de preocupación para la salud pública que se encuentran en Ecuador. El virus del dengue, el virus de la fiebre amarilla y el virus Zika están en la familia Flaviridae (1), mientras que el virus chikungunya y el virus Mayaro están en la familia Togaviridae (1). La fiebre amarilla ha circulado por los trópicos desde al menos el siglo XVII, con el primer brote registrado en América Latina en 1647 (2), y el virus se identificó en 1927 (3). El virus del dengue es también una fuente de brotes globales desde hace mucho tiempo y se identificó en 1943 (4). El dengue tiene cuatro serotipos de virus (DENV 1-4), lo que permite la infección repetida de individuos. Chikungunya, Zika y Mayaro se identificaron como causas de enfermedad febril más recientemente: el virus Zika se aisló de un mono en 1947 en Uganda (5), el virus chikungunya durante un brote en el sudeste de África en 1952 (1) y el virus Mayaro de un paciente en Trinidad en 1954 (6). Chikungunya tiene cuatro genotipos: este / centro / sur de África, África occidental, Océano Índico y asiático (1), mientras que Zika tiene dos linajes genéticos: asiático y africano (7). Ecuador es susceptible a la introducción de arbovirus transmitidos por varios mosquitos vectores bien establecidos o recientemente introducidos y, por lo tanto, ha experimentado múltiples y repetidas introducciones de estas enfermedades. De estos, en la actualidad, solo la fiebre amarilla tiene una vacuna ampliamente disponible y autorizada

A molecular surveillance-guided vector control response to concurrent dengue and West Nile virus outbreaks in a COVID-19 hotspot of Florida

Abstract Simultaneous dengue virus (DENV) and West Nile virus (WNV) outbreaks in Florida, USA, in 2020 resulted in 71 dengue virus serotype 1 and 86 WNV human cases. Our outbreak response leveraged a molecular diagnostic screen of mosquito populations for DENV and WNV in Miami-Dade County to quickly employ targeted mosquito abatement efforts. We detected DENV serotypes 2 and 4 in mosquito pools, highlighting the silent circulation of diverse dengue serotypes in mosquitoes. Additionally, we found WNV-positive mosquito pools in areas with no historical reports of WNV transmission. These findings demonstrate the importance of proactive, strategic arbovirus surveillance in mosquito populations to prevent and control outbreaks, particularly when other illnesses (e.g., COVID-19), which present with similar symptoms are circulating concurrently. Growing evidence for substantial infection prevalence of dengue in competent mosquito vectors in the absence of local index cases suggests a higher level of dengue endemicity in Florida than previously thought. Article Summary Line Evidence of increasing dengue endemicity in Florida: Vector surveillance during dengue and West Nile virus outbreaks revealed widespread presence of other dengue virus serotypes in the absence of local index cases