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Ecological niche modeling and differentiation of populations of *Triatoma brasiliensis* Neiva, 1911, the most important Chagas disease vector in northeastern Brazil (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae)
Costa, Jane Peterson, A. Townsend Beard, C. Ben
Costa, Jane
Peterson, A. Townsend
Beard, C. Ben
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Abstract
Ecologic niche modeling has allowed numerous advances in understanding the geographic ecology of
species, including distributionalpredictions, distributionalchange and invasion, and assessment of ecologic differences.
We used this toolto characterize ecologic differentiation of Triatoma brasiliensis populations, the most important
Chagas’ disease vector in northeastern Brazil. The species’ ecologic niche was modeled based on data from the Fundação
Nacionalde Saúde of Brazil(1997–1999) with the Genetic Algorithm for Rule-Set Prediction (GARP). This method
involves a machine-learning approach to detecting associations between occurrence points and ecologic characteristics
of regions. Four independent “ecologic niche models” were developed and used to test for ecologic differences among
T. brasiliensis populations. These models confirmed four ecologically distinct and differentiated populations, and
allowed characterization of dimensions of niche differentiation. Patterns of ecologic similarity matched patterns of
molecular differentiation, suggesting that T. brasiliensis is a complex of distinct populations at various points in the
process of speciation.
Description
Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 67(5), 2002, pp. 516–520
Copyright © 2002 by The American Society of TropicalMedicine and Hygiene
516
http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/reprint/67/5/516
Date
2002-11
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American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
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Costa, J., A. T. Peterson, and C. B. Beard. 2002. Ecological niche modeling and differentiation of populations of Triatoma brasiliensis Neiva, 1911, the most important Chagas disease vector in northeastern Brazil (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae). American Journal of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene 67:516-520.