title: Biodiversity and ecosystem risks arising from using guppies to control mosquitoes.
abstract: Deploying mosquito predators such as the guppy (Poecilia reticulata) into bodies of water where mosquitoes breed is a common strategy for limiting the spread of disease-carrying mosquitoes. Here, we draw on studies from epidemiology, conservation, ecology and evolution to show that the evidence for the effectiveness of guppies in controlling mosquitoes is weak, that the chances of accidental guppy introduction into local ecosystems are large, and that guppies can easily establish populations and damage these aquatic ecosystems. We highlight several knowledge and implementation gaps, and urge that this approach is either abandoned in favour of more effective strategies or that it is used much more rigorously. Controlling mosquitoes does not need to come at the expense of freshwater biodiversity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700, Station CSC, Victoria, Canada BC V8 W 2Y2 rana@uvic.ca.
authors.forename: Rana W
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0561-1068
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: El-Sabaawi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700, Station CSC, Victoria, Canada BC V8 W 2Y2.
authors.forename: Therese C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Frauendorf
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700, Station CSC, Victoria, Canada BC V8 W 2Y2.
authors.forename: Piata S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Marques
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, Pacific Southwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Hilo, HI 96720, USA.
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Mackenzie
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rua São Francisco Xavier 524, Maracanã, 20550-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luisa R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Manna
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rua São Francisco Xavier 524, Maracanã, 20550-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rosana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mazzoni
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies.
authors.forename: Dawn A T
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Phillip
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700, Station CSC, Victoria, Canada BC V8 W 2Y2.
authors.forename: Misha L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Warbanski
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rua São Francisco Xavier 524, Maracanã, 20550-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Eugenia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zandonà
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D017753:Ecosystem; D058865:Introduced Species; D009032:Mosquito Control / Q000379:methods*; D011036:Poecilia
keywords: Zika; dengue; ecosystem service; invasion; malaria