Work

Climate-driven morphological change in mosquito vectors: implications for vector competence, distribution and disease transmission—a systematic review

Year: 2026

Type: review

Abstract: Background: Climate change is altering the thermal environments experienced by mosquito vectors during development, with consequences for adult morphology and potentially for vector competence and pathogen transmission dynamics. Aim: This systematic review synthesizes evidence on climate-associated morphological change in mosquito vectors, focusing on body size and wing morphology, and examines how these changes may relate to vectorial capacity, geographic distribution, and disease transmission. Methods: = 14), yielding 95 records. After removal of 34 duplicates, 61 unique records underwent title/abstract screening, 37 underwent full-text assessment, and 24 sources were retained for synthesis. Results: Twelve primary empirical studies and twelve contextual or methodological sources were included. Across the primary evidence base, warmer developmental conditions generally reduced adult body or wing size, although responses varied by species, population and nutritional environment. The transmission implications were parameter-specific: smaller mosquitoes may exhibit compensatory increases in feeding frequency, whereas larger mosquitoes may show greater competence per infectious bite in some experimental systems. Temperature also affected adult survival and extrinsic incubation in non-linear ways, so no uniform directional effect on transmission could be inferred. Conclusion: Climate-associated thermal change can alter mosquito morphology through biologically plausible plastic and potentially heritable mechanisms. However, the net effect on pathogen transmission remains contingent on the joint effects of biting frequency, vector competence, survival, development, extrinsic incubation, and local ecological conditions. Wing geometric morphometrics may provide a useful supplementary surveillance measure where validated locally. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420261483189, CRD420261483189.

Source: Frontiers in Veterinary Science

DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2026.1956293