{ "abstract": "Aedes aegypti is the primary urban vector of major human arboviruses worldwide, yet the spatial genetic structure and demographic history of Colombian populations remain incompletely understood. Here, we analyzed mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COX1) sequences from Colombian populations sampled across a broad geographic and temporal range to evaluate genetic diversity, haplotype distribution, spatial-temporal structure, and mitochondrial demographic history. The dataset combined publicly available COX1 records with 394 newly generated sequences from Colombian specimens, yielding 717 entries from the Caribbean, Andean, Orinoco, and Amazonian regions of Colombia, and was analyzed using population genetic, ordination, constrained spatial, and demographic inference approaches. Colombian COX1 diversity was mainly structured into two broad mitochondrial genetic clusters rather than by sampling locality, department, or collection year, suggesting the persistence of maternal lineages together with spatial mixing likely influenced by human-mediated dispersal and urban adaptation. Human population density and built-up intensity partially explained mitochondrial genetic structure, but this association varied through time, indicating that urbanization interacts with regional demographic heterogeneity and local habitat configuration. Demographic history analyses suggested temporal variation in mitochondrial effective population size, including an older increase followed by reduction and relative stabilization toward recent generations, rather than continuous demographic expansion. Climate-associated analyses further suggested that temperature, particularly minimum temperature, may contribute to mitochondrial demographic variation, although this relationship should be interpreted as correlative. Overall, Colombian Ae. aegypti populations appear to be shaped by historical maternal-lineage structure, urbanization-associated spatial heterogeneity, eco-regional demographic variation, and climatic context. This country-scale mitochondrial baseline can help prioritize regions for genomic, entomological, and epidemiological surveillance and guide future investigations of mosquito dispersal and population connectivity relevant to vector management in Colombia. Author summary: Ae. aegypti is the main urban mosquito vector of dengue and other arboviruses, but its population history in Colombia remains incompletely understood. We analyzed 717 COX1 mitochondrial DNA sequences from mosquitoes collected or reported across the Caribbean, Andean, Orinoco, and Amazonian regions to examine how genetic diversity is distributed across the country. Colombian populations were mainly organized into two broad mitochondrial clusters, suggesting that historical maternal lineages persist but are widely mixed through human movement, urban connectivity, and repeated colonization of domestic habitats. Urbanization and built-up intensity explained part of this genetic structure, although their effects varied over time and among regions. Demographic analyses also suggested temporal changes in mitochondrial effective population size rather than continuous expansion, and temperature, especially minimum temperature, may contribute to this variation. These findings are relevant in light of recent INS dengue surveillance, which identified regionally distinct dengue-incidence clusters, with Amazonian, Caribbean, Orinoco, and Andean municipalities following different epidemic trajectories. Overall, our results suggest that Colombian Ae. aegypti populations are shaped by historical lineage structure, urbanization, regional ecology, climatic context, and epidemiological heterogeneity, providing a mitochondrial baseline for future genomic and vector-surveillance efforts.", "abstract_shown": true, "affiliations": [ "Laboratorio de Investigación en Genética Evolutiva (LIGE), Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia, Tunja, Boyacá, Colombia.", "Grupo de Estudios en Genética y Biología Molecular (GEBIMOL), Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia, Tunja, Boyacá, Colombia.", "Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Biotecnología-UR (CIMBIUR), School of Sciences and Engineering, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia.", "Grupo de Investigación en Ciencias Básicas (NÚCLEO), Facultad de Ciencias e Ingeniería, Universidad de Boyacá, Tunja, Colombia.", "Grupo de Investigación en Sistemática Molecular (GSM), Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellín, Colombia.", "Center for Global Health and Inter-Disciplinary Research, USF Genomics Program, Department of Global, Environmental and Genomic Health Sciences, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America." ], "article_type": "Research Article", "arxiv": null, "author_total": 9, "authors": [ { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Andrés Gómez-Palacio", "orcid": "0000-0002-1069-9199" }, { "affs": [ 1 ], "name": "Johana Marín-Suarez" }, { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Laura Beltrán-Rodríguez" }, { "affs": [ 2, 3 ], "name": "Marcela Gómez" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Weimar Briñez-Zabaleta" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Abelgie Sánchez" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Luz Helena Patiño" }, { "affs": [ 4 ], "name": "Sandra Uribe-Soto" }, { "affs": [ 2, 5 ], "name": "Juan David Ramírez" } ], "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e1sc386n4tvcm.bib", "cited_by": 0, "doi": "10.1371/journal.pntd.0014808", "fulltext_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0014808", "id": "e1sc386n4tvcm", "issns": [ "1935-2735", "1935-2727" ], "landing_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0014808", "language": "eng", "licence": "CC-BY", "licence_label": "CC BY", "licence_source": "article", "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "metadata_licence": null, "native_subjects": [ [ "openalex", "1311|Genetic diversity and population structure" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Biochemistry/Bioenergetics/Energy-producing organelles/Mitochondria" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Biogeography/Phylogeography" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Cell biology/Cellular structures and organelles/Energy-producing organelles/Mitochondria" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Evolutionary biology/Population genetics" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Evolutionary biology/Population genetics/Phylogeography" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Genetics/Heredity/Genetic mapping/Haplotypes" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Genetics/Population genetics" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Genetics/Population genetics/Phylogeography" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Eukaryota/Animals/Invertebrates/Arthropoda/Insects/Mosquitoes/Aedes aegypti" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Population biology/Population genetics" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Population biology/Population genetics/Phylogeography" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Population biology/Population metrics/Population density" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Species interactions/Disease vectors/Insect vectors/Mosquitoes/Aedes aegypti" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Zoology/Animals/Invertebrates/Arthropoda/Insects/Mosquitoes/Aedes aegypti" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Zoology/Entomology/Insects/Mosquitoes/Aedes aegypti" ], [ "plos", "/Earth sciences/Geography/Biogeography/Phylogeography" ], [ "plos", "/Ecology and environmental sciences/Biogeography/Phylogeography" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Medical conditions/Infectious diseases/Disease vectors/Insect vectors/Mosquitoes/Aedes aegypti" ], [ "plos", "/People and places/Geographical locations/South America/Colombia" ], [ "plos", "/Research and analysis methods/Database and informatics methods/Bioinformatics/Sequence analysis/Sequence alignment" ] ], "openalex": "W7221624292", "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0014808&type=printable", "pmcid": "PMC13686458", "pmid": "42868182", "published": "2026-10-13", "publisher": "Public Library of Science", "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e1sc386n4tvcm.ris", "sources": [ { "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:30Z", "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pntd.0014808", "source": "plos", "url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0014808" }, { "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:00Z", "native_id": "MED:42868182", "source": "europepmc", "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42868182" } ], "subjects": [ { "field": "biology", "origin": "plos:evolutionary biology", "subfield": "evolutionary-biology" }, { "field": "biology", "origin": "plos:genetics", "subfield": "genetics-genomics" }, { "field": "biology", "origin": "plos:zoology", "subfield": "zoology-behaviour" } ], "title": "Country-scale diversity, spatial genetic structure, and mitochondrial demographic history of Aedes aegypti populations in Colombia", "title_text": "Country-scale diversity, spatial genetic structure, and mitochondrial demographic history of Aedes aegypti populations in Colombia", "type": "peer-reviewed", "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:19:00Z", "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e1sc386n4tvcm", "venue": "PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases", "versions": [] }