Laskai, C. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2026

Pond age and agricultural land cover influence the occurrence of Anopheles maculipennis in garden ponds in Hungary

Garden ponds are important elements of urban landscapes and provide numerous ecosystem services, but they may also support mosquito populations that can act as vectors of pathogens. However, mosquito occurrence in garden ponds has so far received limited attention. We engaged citizen scientists to provide data on their garden ponds and collect water samples for eDNA analysis to assess mosquito occurrence in 319 garden ponds across Hungary, with special focus on Anopheles maculipennis, a potential malaria-vector species. We tested the effects of land cover, local pond management activities and environmental factors on the probability of An. maculipennis occurrence in garden ponds. Overall mosquito occurrence was relatively low, with mosquitoes detected in 59 ponds (18%) and An. maculipennis detected in 46 ponds (14%). Agricultural land cover and pond age were associated with the occurrence of An. maculipennis in garden ponds. A higher percentage of agricultural land cover within 1000 m of garden ponds increased the probability of An. maculipennis occurrence, while occurrence was higher in newly created ponds ([≤] 2 years). Our results suggest that landscape context is more important than local pond characteristics in determining the occurrence of An. maculipennis in garden ponds. This study contributes to a better understanding of the landscape context in which a potential malaria-vector species occurs in urban and peri-urban environments and highlights the value of citizen science for large-scale data collection from privately owned ponds that are otherwise inaccessible to researchers.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2023

Effects of urbanisation, habitat characteristics, and management on garden pond biodiversity: a citizen science approach

The rapid expansion of urban areas often leads to degradation, fragmentation, and loss of natural habitats, threatening biodiversity. While urban ponds might contribute substantially to the biodiversity of urban blue-green infrastructure, the role of garden ponds is still largely unkown. We lack a comprehensive understanding of how local habitat features, different forms of management, and urbanisation might impact the biodiversity of these habitats. This study aimed to reveal the importance of garden ponds via a country-wide online citizen science survey in Hungary, Central Europe. Data from over 800 pond owners revealed the occurrence and local frequency of various native animal taxa (amphibians, odonates, and birds), and introduced animals (e.g., fish). We collected data about pond features and management practices. We tested the effect of pond features, pond management, and landscape-level drivers (urbanisation, surrounding wetland coverage) on the presence of conspicuous animal taxa (adult amphibians and tadpoles, birds, odonates) to identify the potential drivers of the biodiversity of garden ponds. Key pond features including pond age, area, aquatic and shoreline vegetation were the most important factors, while algaecide addition was the most influential management practice negatively affecting amphibian presence. Urbanisation negatively affected the presence of adult amphibians and their tadpoles, but it was not associated negatively with the presence of odonates and birds. Our results indicate the high potential to utilise garden ponds as urban habitats surveyed with the help of the public. Developing effective urban biodiversity monitoring and conservation strategies are necessary for a better functioning blue-green infrastructure. The high level of engagement of pond owners, as in our survey, can create valuable data for achieving these aims.

ecology↗