Abstract
Urban greening is regarded as a solution to mitigate global urbanization challenges due to its positive impact on human health. However, research on potential adverse effects, especially concerning mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases, remains limited. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between urban vegetation and the presence and abundance of the invasive Aedes albopictus in Montpellier, the second greenest city in France, considering weather conditions, microclimate, and landscape as potential influencing factors.Adult mosquitoes and microclimate were monthly sampled from May to October 2023, using Odor+CO2 traps across vegetated parks and residential areas in the city center. Environmental (meteorological and landscape) variables were extracted from open-access databases. Entomological data underwent two-stage analysis. First, bivariate analysis employing generalized linear mixed models was performed between the presence/abundance of Aedes albopictus and environmental variables, considering various time lags and spatial proximities relative to trap location. Secondly, multivariate random forest models were used to highlight nonlinear relationships between environmental factors and the presence/abundance.The most influential variables for Aedes albopictus presence were meteorological: weekly cumulative growing degree days (1 week prior), mean daily wind speed (5 weeks prior), and weekly cumulative rainfall (5-6 weeks prior). Landscape factors (building percentage in a 100m buffer), microclimate (hourly temperature during sampling), and meteorological (weekly cumulative growing degree days (1 week prior)) were the key variables for abundance. Urban vegetation minimally impacted presence but moderately influenced abundance within a 50-meter radius.To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to explicitly examine urban vegetation’s impact on Aedes albopictus in France. Further research is necessary to solidify the findings presented and to explore the influence of vegetation on other determinants of Aedes-borne diseases risk (including vector and parasite biology). These findings can inform urban greening strategies while monitoring and managing mosquito populations.