Impact of vector richness on the risk of vector‐borne disease: The role of vector competence

Abstract

A central goal of disease ecology is to identify the factors that drive the spread of infectious diseases. Changes in vector richness can have complex effects on disease risk, but little is known about the role of vector competence in the relationship between vector richness and disease risk. In this study, we firstly investigated the combined effects of vector competence, interspecific competition, and feeding interference on disease risk through a two‐vector, one‐host SIR‐SI model, and obtained threshold conditions for the occurrence of dilution and amplification effects. Secondly, we extended the above model to the case of N vectors and assumed that all vectors were homogeneous to obtain analytic expressions for disease risk. It was found that in the two‐vector model, disease risk declined more rapidly as interspecific competition of the high‐competence vector increased. When vector richness increases, the positive effects of adding a high‐competence vector species on disease transmission may outweigh the negative effects of feeding interference due to increased vector richness, making an amplification effect more likely to occur. While the addition of a highly competitive vector species may exacerbate the negative effects of feeding interference, making a dilution effect more likely to occur. In the N‐vector model, the effect of increased vector richness on disease risk was fully driven by the strength of feeding interference and interspecific competition, and changes in vector competence only quantitatively but not qualitatively altered the vector richness–disease risk relationship. This work clarifies the role of vector competence in the relationship between vector richness and disease risk and provides a new perspective for studying the diversity–disease relationship. It also provides theoretical guidance for vector management and disease prevention strategies.