Biology subjects

Killeen, G.

Publications and source records attributed to Killeen, G..

6 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Mapping potential for human encounters with dangerous large mammals across a community-led Wildlife Management Area in southern Tanzania based on overlapping signs of recent activity

This study examined the spatial distribution of potential human encounters with dangerous large mammals in and adjacent to the Ifakara-Lupiro-Mang'ula Wildlife Management Area (ILUMA WMA) and Nyerere National Park (NNP) in southern Tanzania. Using published survey data collected over one year, this secondary analysis focused on four potentially dangerous large mammals: elephant (Loxodonta africana), buffalo (Syncerus caffer), hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) and hyena (Crocuta crocuta). Potential encounter risk was estimated using overlap indices based on co-occurrence of signs of wildlife and human activities. Potential encounter risk was found to be concentrated around readily identifiable foci within the study area and differed between species and distinguishable human livelihood activities. Potential for encountering the two most apparently important dangerous animals, elephant and buffalo, was closely associated with authorized fishing camps within the ILUMA WMA and the ecotone between substantially disturbed and largely intact natural land cover. The greatest potential for encountering hippopotamus occurred largely around two river beds, while hyena encounter potential was more closely associated with established villages and converted lands close to the western boundary of the ILUMA WMA. These new maps of hazard and risk suggest that effective human-wildlife conflict (HWC) mitigation in this WMA is unlikely to arise from any stand-alone intervention, but from targeted actions that reduce spatiotemporal overlap between people and wildlife by keeping them apart and/or protecting them against each other. Overall, this study demonstrates that mapping potential encounter risk based on spatiotemporal overlap of indirect activity indicators like tracks, spoor and signs provides a proactive and statistically powerful way to identify where hazardous encounters are most likely to occur, offering considerable advantages over retrospective assessments of much sparser observations of actual realised conflict events after they have already occurred. This new spatial risk mapping approach provides a framework for shifting management from reactive responses after conflict occurs towards proactive prevention.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2026

An improved generic schema for high fidelity data linkage and sample tracing across complex multi-assay medical entomology studies

Evidence-based decision making on malaria vector control strategies increasingly rely on triangulation of data which requires informatics systems that can integrate data from complex, multi-stage studies involving mosquitoes. This manuscript describes a performance evaluation of an extended version of the generic schema underpinning the VBDs360 platform, specifically improved to accommodate multiple distinct entomological assays spanning the field, insectary and laboratory. The utility of this extension, with respect to high-fidelity data linkage and robust sample traceability across complex entomological workflows, was evaluated through a case study conducted in southern Tanzania. Wild female mosquitoes were collected from 40 locations across a >4,000 km{superscript 2} area and then reared through multiple generations in an insectary before derived iso-female lineages were tested for phenotypic susceptibility to a pyrethroid insecticide. Such multi-generational lineages (F to F where n [≥] 2) were propagated to prevent non-heritable maternal effects on phenotype and produce enough progeny for standard WHO susceptibility assays. All samples were subsequently archived in a molecular laboratory, where all F specimens were tested for sibling species identity. A paper-based implementation of the extended schema enabled successful integration of 77,017 lines of data distributed across 6 different tables that spanned 3 distinct field, insectary, and laboratory workflows, implemented by three different teams working in different locations. At each step, fully independent and redundant primary and secondary keys enabled high fidelity error correction and sample tracing. Consistently perfect linkage between assay design and sample sorting data was achieved for F0 wild-caught adults, with 100% of 66,108 record successfully linked between field capture and morphological categorization. This complete traceability extended to the propagation of derived Fn lineages, with all 100 and 243 records from 9 adult-derived and 13 larval-derived lineages, respectively, correctly linked. Insecticide susceptibility phenotype further confirmed 100% linkage for 5,654 records between exposure history and recorded mortality outcome data in the insectary. Although such cross-cleaned linkages to sample analysis and storage data recorded by the laboratory team were not entirely perfect and could be improved, they were nevertheless of very high fidelity (97.3% (1967/2,022) for F0 samples and 99.3% (437/440) for Fn samples). Overall, this pilot application of the extended generic schema ensured robust data provenance and minimized transcription errors in this complex study distributed across multiple teams and locations. These findings demonstrate how this generic informatics framework may be scaled and adapted to support data integrity across diverse, large-scale, multi-team entomological research workflows.

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2025

Persistence of residual Anopheles gambiae populations associated with frontier human settlements and nocturnal livelihood-related activities at the fringes of a large conservation area in southern Tanzania

Following the rapid scale-up of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) in 2008 across the Kilombero Valley of southern Tanzania, Anopheles gambiae Giles, a highly efficient and human-specialized malaria vector, essentially disappeared within two years and has rarely been detected since. However, an ecological study of its sibling species within the An. gambiae complex, namely An. arabiensis Patton and An. quadriannulatus Theobald, in an area spanning human settlements and conserved wilderness, nevertheless detected sparse, highly focal populations of An. gambiae. Out of 4,704 An. gambiae complex specimens collected, only 10 were identified as nominate An. gambiae by polymerase chain reaction. Seven of these were captured at three surveyed fishing camps inside a Wildlife Management Area (WMA), while none were caught in five established villages west of the WMA or the national park to the east. Two of the other three were found among scattered farming settlements along the edge of the WMA. The final individual was caught in a near-natural area deep inside the WMA, but even this site was near small transient homesteads. Poisson regression modelling confirmed that capture rates at fishing camps were higher than in the peripheral settlements (Relative Rate [RR] [95% Confidence Interval (CI)] = 0.088 [0.011, 0.695], P = 0.021) or conserved natural areas (RR [95% CI] = 0.043 [0.003, 0.495], P = 0.012). Conservative estimates put the mean standing populations at each of the three fishing camps between 26 and 41 females per settlement. The absence of An. gambiae from well-conserved areas without resident humans aligns with its anthropophagic nature and dependency on human hosts. Residual An. gambiae populations persisting among frontier communities appear linked to locally common, livelihood-related nocturnal activities that preclude the practical use of LLINs, specifically fishing and guarding crops against wildlife. The continued presence of this previously important species in these ecological niches, where local livelihoods apparently undermine high LLIN coverage, shows persistence under sustained, partial insecticide pressure. This could lead to the re-emergence of this vector through the gradual evolution of resistance. However, their sparse and focal distribution suggests that new supplementary interventions, such as transfluthrin emanators, might effectively eliminate these remaining refuge populations.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2024

Comparative attractiveness of Anopheles quadriannulatus and Anopheles arabiensis to humans estimated by comparing the relative abundance of these two species in larval samples, unbaited adult catches and human-baited adult catches.

Understanding mosquito vector behaviour, abundance, and bionomics is crucial for effective malaria prevention. Since most malaria parasites in humans are strict anthroponoses, mosquito preference for humans as a blood source is a key determinant of transmission intensity and intervention strategies. This study compares the attraction of Anopheles arabiensis and Anopheles quadriannulatus to humans by assessing their relative abundance in larval samples and adult mosquito catches using unbaited and human-baited traps. The research investigated how the abundance of these sibling species varies with the local availability of humans, livestock, and wildlife as potential blood sources. Surveys of larval and adult mosquito populations were conducted at 40 mobile camping locations distributed across a landscape mosaic of different habitat types, with a gradient of land use practices ranging from comprehensive conversion to agriculture and human settlement to essentially intact natural ecosystems inside well-protected conservation areas. Larvae were collected from all accessible water bodies within a 2 km radius of each mobile camp, while adults were surveyed using four light traps and one interception netting barrier trap at each camp. Light traps were strategically placed at locations such as beside a human-occupied tent, near the camp, in a nearby streambed, and in an open natural glade, while the netting barrier trap was placed in the open natural glade. Most adult Anopheles gambiae complex mosquitoes caught were unfed and presumably host-seeking. The mean catches of the complex in light traps next to the human-occupied tent was over four times higher than elsewhere around the camp (p<<0.0001). Catches decreased with distance from humans, suggesting attraction to humans by at least one species in the complex. An. arabiensis was caught in greater numbers in the human-occupied tent, while An. quadriannulatus catches remained consistently low across all traps, even in wild areas where it was dominant in larval population. The proportion of An. arabiensis in adult collections was higher than in larval samples (98.7% versus. 78.3%, p<<0.0001), and adults caught beside human-occupied tents had 36 times higher odds of being An. arabiensis rather than An. quadriannulatus. Similarly, the barrier trap away from humans but frequently visited by researchers showed a 24-fold enrichment of An. arabiensis. These results confirm the strong attraction of An. arabiensis to humans, contrasting with the non-vector An. quadriannulatus, which is largely unresponsive to humans. Light traps by human-occupied tents efficiently capture anthropophagic mosquitoes outdoors, while unbaited traps far from people appear to give unbiased representations of larval population composition but with very low efficiency. Moreover, netting barriers with human activity attract anthropophagic mosquitoes, turning them into semi-baited traps with moderate efficiency.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2024

An effective model for community-based conservation around authorized fishing settlements inside a devolved Wildlife Management Area in southern Tanzania

Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) represent a relatively new institutional model for devolved, locally-led conservation in Tanzania, in which local villages set aside part of their land for wildlife conservation and manage that resource collectively, so that their stakeholder communities can collectively leverage economic and social benefits from income-generating activities like tourism. This study examines the relationship between community-defined land use plans and de facto land use practices, and the influence of the latter on the relative abundance and distribution of large wild mammals in a across the Ifakara-Lupiro-Mangula (ILUMA) WMA, which acts as a key buffer zone between Nyerere National Park (NNP) to the east and adjacent stakeholder villages to the north and west. All observed signs of wildlife and human activity were recorded across 32 locations inside ILUMA and in the permanent settlements and national park that respectively border it to the west and east. Across much of ILUMA WMA, in areas where agreed land use plans were not adhered to, rampant cattle herding and land clearing for agriculture were associated with reductions in wildlife richness and biodiversity, as well as overall ecosystem integrity. Although human settlement was also generally associated with reduced natural ecosystem integrity, some important exceptions to this rule illustrate how sustainable livelihoods for local people that are based on well-managed natural resource harvesting practices may actually enhance conservation effectiveness: Three authorised human settlements within the WMA, where fishing was the primary permitted livelihood and local communities collaborated with the WMA management, were surrounded by pristine land cover with thriving terrestrial wildlife populations. Correspondingly, the best conserved parts of the WMA not only included those closest to the boundary with the national park to the east, but also these fishing villages along the riverbank to the north, where compliance with agreed land use plans was most rigorous. Overall, this study documents a useful example of how a devolved conservation area may conditionally host resident local communities undertaking selective natural resource extraction activities and collaborate with them to achieve effective de facto conservation practices.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2024

A self-cooling self-humidifying mosquito carrier backpack for transporting live adult mosquitoes on foot over long distances under challenging field conditions.

It is often necessary to use motorized transport to move live mosquitoes from distant field collection points into a central insectary, so that their behavioural and/or physiological phenotypes can be assessed under carefully controlled conditions. However, a survey of heritable insecticide susceptibility traits among wild-caught Anopheles arabiensis mosquitoes, collected across an extensive study area composed largely of wilderness in southern Tanzania, necessitated that live mosquitoes were carried on foot over distances up to 25 km per day because most of the area was impassable by car, motorcycle or even bicycle during the rains. A self-cooling, self-humidifying carrier backpack was therefore developed that allows live adult mosquito specimens to be transported across rugged miombo woodland and floodplain terrain throughout the year. This wettable backpack was fabricated from stitched Tanzanian kitenge cotton fabric and PVC-coated fiberglass netting that allows easy circulation of air in and out. An outer cover flap made of cotton towelling embedded inside a kitenge envelope overhangs the fiberglass netting upper body of the bag, to protect mosquitoes from direct sunlight, and can be soaked with water to maintain low temperature and high humidity inside. Mean survival of insectary-reared female Anopheles arabiensis transported through 9 different mobile camps inside the 509 km2 Ifakara-Lupiro-Mangula Wildlife Management Area (ILUMA WMA), over up to 143km and 25 days, was indistinguishable from those left in the field insectary over the same period. Although considerable variance was observed between different batches of mosquitoes from the insectary and between individual cups of mosquitoes, the different levels and positions inside the backpack had no influence on survival. Temperature and humidity inside the backpack were maintained at standard insectary condition throughout, despite much more extreme conditions immediately outside. When the backpack was applied to collecting wild An. arabiensis and Anopheles quadriannulatus across a much larger study area of >4000 km2, encompassing the ILUMA WMA, some nearby villages and adjacent parts of Nyerere National Park (NNP), it achieved a mean survival rate of 58.2% [95% confidence interval 47.5 to 68.2]. Encouragingly, no difference in survival was observed between ILUMA WMA and NNP even though transport back from NNP involves much longer distances, sometimes involving lengthy journeys by car or boat. Overall, this mosquito carrier backpack prototype appears to represent a viable and effective method for transporting live wild-caught mosquitoes on foot across otherwise impassable terrain under challenging weather conditions with minimal detrimental impact on their survival.

ecology↗