6: Conclusions and future directions
Sufficiently understanding the performance of insect vectors within the
natural environmental mosaics where they occur will require
substantially more data on the spatial and temporal complexities in
microclimate, behavioral responses to temperature and humidity change,
plasticity in thermal tolerance traits, and the eco-physiological
mechanisms of vector water balance, coupled with broader understanding
of the general relationships between water and temperature described in
this paper. We have collated these goals into a general framework
incorporating humidity into research questions and temperature-dependent
mechanistic models (Fig. 5 & Box 2). We intend for the evidence and
theory presented here to be signposts for future research, leading to a
collective broadening in our understanding of insect vectors and how
their responses to climate variables will affect parasite transmission.