@article{fdi:010057052, title = {{A}biotic and biotic factors associated with the presence of {A}nopheles arabiensis immatures and their abundance in naturally occurring and man-made aquatic habitats}, author = {{G}ouagna, {L}ouis-{C}l{\'e}ment and {R}akotondranary, {M}. and {B}oyer, {S}{\'e}bastien and {L}emp{\'e}ri{\`e}re, {G}uy and {D}ehecq, {J}. {S}. and {F}ontenille, {D}idier}, editor = {}, language = {{ENG}}, abstract = {{B}ackground: {A}nopheles arabiensis ({D}iptera: {C}ulicidae) is a potential malaria vector commonly present at low altitudes in remote areas in {R}eunion {I}sland. {L}ittle attention has been paid to the environmental conditions driving larval development and abundance patterns in potential habitats. {T}wo field surveys were designed to determine whether factors that discriminate between aquatic habitats with and without {A}n. arabiensis larvae also drive larval abundance, comparatively in man-made and naturally occurring habitats. {M}ethods: {I}n an initial preliminary survey, a representative sample of aquatic habitats that would be amenable to an intensive long-term study were selected and divided into positive and negative sites based on the presence or absence of {A}nopheles arabiensis larvae. {S}ubsequently, a second survey was prompted to gain a better understanding of biotic and abiotic drivers of larval abundance, comparatively in man-made and naturally occurring habitats in the two studied locations. {I}n both surveys, weekly sampling was performed to record mosquito species composition and larval density within individual habitats, as well as in situ biological characteristics and physico-chemical properties. {R}esults: {W}hilst virtually any stagnant water body could be a potential breeding ground for {A}n. arabiensis, habitats occupied by their immatures had different structural and biological characteristics when compared to those where larvae were absent. {L}arval occurrence seemed to be influenced by flow velocity, macrofauna diversity and predation pressure. {I}nterestingly, the relative abundance of larvae in man-made habitats (average: 0.55 larvae per dip, 95% {CI} [0.3-0.7]) was significantly lower than that recorded in naturally occurring ones (0.74, 95% {CI} [0.5-0.8]). {S}uch differences may be accounted for in part by varying pressures that could be linked to a specific habitat. {C}onclusions: {I}f the larval ecology of {A}n. arabiensis is in general very complex and factors affecting breeding site productivity sometimes not easy to highlight, our results, however, highlight lower populations of {A}n. arabiensis immatures compared to those reported in comparable studies conducted in the {A}frican continent. {O}verall, this low larval abundance, resulting from both abiotic and biotic factors, suggests that vector control measures targeting larval habitats are likely to be successful in {R}eunion, but these could be better implemented by taking environmental variability into account.}, keywords = {}, booktitle = {}, journal = {{P}arasites and {V}ectors}, volume = {5}, numero = {}, pages = {96}, ISSN = {1756-3305}, year = {2012}, DOI = {10.1186/1756-3305-5-96}, URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010057052}, }