Infection and host-feeding patterns of West Nile virus vectors varies by urban greenspace composition

Greenspaces are integral to the urban environment, enhancing climate resilience and providing several additional environmental, social, and public health benefits, yet the extent to which they affect vector-borne disease transmission is not clear. We explored this question in the context of mosquito and West Nile virus (WNV) host populations, infection rates, and foraging behavior. We collected mosquitoes from greenspaces along a transect spanning a range of urban development. Mosquitoes were tested for West Nile virus, and the host species that were fed on was determined for blood-fed specimens. Bird counts and camera traps were used to assess avian and mammal species availability. We explored landcover associations with vector abundance, vector infection prevalence, host-feeding pattern,s and host community composition.
Different components that contribute to WNV transmission intensity responded to different landcover variables. Abundance of Culex mosquitoes was most strongly tied to ..., , # Data from: Infection and host-feeding patterns of West Nile virus vectors varies by urban greenspace composition

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.nk98sf84h](10.5061/dryad.nk98sf84h)

## Description of the data and file structure

These files contain data required to reproduce analyses in the associated paper examining how the composition and extent of urban greenspace influences the abundance, host feeding behavior and West Nile virus (WNV) infection prevalence of *Culex (Cx.)* spp. mosquitoes at ten locations along a gradient of urban development intensity in the Greater Chicago area. Mosquitoes were collected weekly from multiple traps at each location, 25 June to 25 September 2019. Unfed, female specimens were pooled and tested by RT-PCR for the presence of WNV RNA. Vertebrate DNA was extracted from blood engorged *Culex (Cx.)* spp. females and sequenced to determine host identity. Point count surveys and camera traps were used at each site to estimate relative abundance of avian and m...,