\(\odot\) - Professor David L Smith | UW :: HMS, CQS | Pubs :: ORCID, Google Scholar
Mosquito ecology – all the factors that determine the distribution and abundance of mosquito species – are a core part of malaria epidemiology, transmission dynamics and control. While mosquito age remains an important concern for transmission, there are many other basic features of mosquito ecology that are important for malaria transmission by mosquitoes and their responses to control remain poorly understood.
In developing models and theory, we are interested in the problem of relevant details for mosquito populations and their responses to vector control. On the one hand, we have developed a highly detailed and realistic individual-based adult mosquito simulation model called MBITES. The model probably has far more complexity than needed, but how much detail is useful? MBITES has drawn our attention to resource availability as an important factor in adult mosquito ecology. We are developing models of intermediate complexity capture some of the essential features, such as behavioral state dynamics and micro-simulation models on complex resource landscapes. We are exploring models like this, where mosquitoes in some behavioral state search for and use resources. We can also build models describing how mosquito populations are regulated, with realistic responses to mean crowding in dynamic aquatic habitats. Adult mosquito populations, habitat dynamics, and mosquito population dynamics create an important component of malaria transmission systems and their responses to vector control.
Key Publications