transmission peaks can be made up to two months before they occur. notable examples in disease ecology ticks are a vector for lyme disease. barn owls are a host species for west nile virus. malaria malaria is a disease transferred by the female anopheles mosquito, located predominantly in sub-saharan africa and is a long withstanding public health issue. it is a disease that is strongly regulated by climate factors and therefore climate change will have a notable impact on the transmission of the disease. as temperatures warm, the reproductive phase of the plasmodium parasite, within the gut of the female mosquito, will undergo completion. this will ensure that the female mosquito becomes infective before the end of its lifespan. precipitation is also a critical factor for the breeding and the transmission of malaria and with climate change influencing regular precipitation patterns, studies are finding that mosquito breeding potential can increase as a direct result of climate change. lyme disease lyme disease is the most common tickborne disease throughout the united states and europe with an estimated 476,000 cases in europe and 200,000 cases in the united states per year. recently, studies have concluded that there is an increased risk of lyme disease in southern canada due to the home range expansion of the tick vector ixodes scapularis, which is responsible for carrying the disease. climate change creates milder winters and extended spring and autumn seasons. this creates hospitable habitats for ticks thrive at higher latitudes (where they are normally not found). human infections of lyme disease have been increasingly prominent in certain southern parts of canadian provinces such as ontario, quebec, manitoba, and nova scotia. according to canadian published studies, other environmental factors are contributing to the expansion of the ixodes scapularis home range which include the introduction of the vector through migratory birds and density of deer populations. west nile virus west nile virus is transferred between mosquitos and birds of prey including eagles, hawks, falcons, and owls. in the united states, west nile virus is being increasingly studied in new york and connecticut due to the effects of climate change on two disease carrying vectors. climate change is promoting the hybridization amongst two mosquito vectors (c. pipiens and c. quinquefasciatus) which can have an effect on the genetic composition of the hybrid allowing it to become more effective at transmitting diseases and increases its adaptability to different climactic conditions.