Abstract Background Climate change is the major driver of increasing mosquito population and mosquito-borne arboviral disease (MBD) risks across Europe. In Germany, rising temperatures and shifting precipitation regimes are creating more favourable environmental conditions for mosquito establishment and pathogen transmission. However, the extent to which regional climate variability shape mosquito community composition remain insufficiently understood. Methods Mosquito specimens were trapped using Biogents (BG) traps at several locations in Germany between 2016 and 2025. Using k-means cluster analysis applied to a set of mosquito-relevant bioclimatic indicators, we developed a data-driven ecoclimatic regionalization to identify seven mosquito ecoclimatic regions (MERs). To validate the regionalization, we conducted community analysis on nationwide mosquito surveillance dataset. Mosquito richness and diversity metrics were estimated per MER. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and Permutational Multivariate Analysis of Variance (PERMANOVA) were used to visualize and test differences in community composition between MERs. The robustness of the regionalization was further evaluated by comparing within- and between-region Bray-Curtis beta diversity. Results A total of 288,689 mosquito specimens were collected using 276 trap deployments. Results revealed varying mosquito habitat suitability and community composition across MERs in Germany. Mosquito richness (n) and Simpson diversity (b) decrease along MERs with similar altitudinal characteristics from lowlands to mountainous regions. The identified MERs include: Alpine (n=2.00, b=1.16), Low Mountains (n=2.00, b=1.20), Northwest Cool (n=20.67, b=1.83), Continental-Dry (n=27.99, b=2.13), Warm Continental (n=32.50, b=2.55), Southeast Foothill (n=23.39, b=2.77) and Coastal Maritime (n=24.00, b=5.09) regions. Community composition differed significantly among MERs (NMDS: stress = 0.133; PERMANOVA: P<0.05, F=6.50). Beta-diversity analyses showed that mosquito communities were more similar within than between MERs (Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test: P<0.0001; Z=20.36). Across regions, Culex pipiens was the dominant native vector while Aedes albopictus and Ochlerotatus japonicus were observed in several MERs indicating expanding climatic suitability for invasive vectors. Conclusions Identifying ecoclimatic regions that capture variability in mosquito habitat suitability and community composition is essential for targeted vector surveillance and improved early warning of climate-sensitive MBDs especially West Nile virus in central Europe.
Adeleke, E., Schaefer, M., Luehken, R., Gutjahr, P., Merkenschlager, C., Voll, C., Hertig, E.
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