Impact of bauxite mining on mosquito communities (Diptera: Culicidae) and pathogen transmission risks in the eastern Amazon
6 affiliations
- 1University of São Paulo, School of Public Health São Paulo São Paulo Brazil
- 2Federal University of Pará Belém Pará Brazil
- 3Department of Epidemiology University of São Paulo, School of Public Health São Paulo São Paulo Brazil
- 4Evandro Chagas Institute Ananindeua Pará Brazil
- 5Natural History Museum, University of Oslo Oslo Norway
- 6Institute of Biological Sciences Federal University of Pará Belém Pará Brazil
Abstract
Mining activities pose significant and often underestimated threats to tropical forests, with distinct ecological implications for various taxa, including mosquitoes. This study aimed to investigate the effects of bauxite mining on the diversity, composition and blood‐feeding habits of mosquito communities in the Eastern Amazon. The research was conducted in the operational area of Mineração Paragominas S.A., located in the state of Pará, Brazil, where mosquitoes were collected using CDC light traps and active search methods. Species‐level taxonomic identification was performed using morphological keys and molecular techniques. Blood meal sources were identified by targeting three mitochondrial genes: 16S, COI and Cytb. Diversity analyses were based on Rényi entropy and rarefaction and extrapolation curves, while compositional changes were assessed through Principal Coordinates Analysis (PCoA). Results showed that bauxite mining significantly alters mosquito community structure in the Eastern Amazon, with critical public health implications. Three main ecological patterns were identified: (1) increased abundance of vector and anthropophilic species (e.g., Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus) in mining areas, demonstrating their capacity to invade, establish and proliferate in remote forest habitats; (2) shifts in community composition, with the replacement of forest‐dwelling species by generalists in degraded areas and (3) a reduction in the richness of blood sources in impacted areas, compromising the protective dilution effect typically observed in preserved ecosystems. These findings identify mining zones as hotspots for spillover and spillback events, underscoring the need for integrated monitoring (vector–pathogen–host) and artificial breeding site control to mitigate public health risks.
Related
- First Record of the Mosquito Aedes koreicus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Croatia.
- Climate shapes mosquito-borne disease transmission in africa: a scoping review of climatic determinants, biological responses and transmission dynamics
- Multiple orthoflaviviruses secrete sfRNA in mosquito saliva to promote transmission by inhibiting MDA5-mediated early interferon response
- Climate-driven morphological change in mosquito vectors: implications for vector competence, distribution and disease transmission—a systematic review
- The impacts of host community composition, clustering and vector host choice on zoonotic mosquito-borne virus transmission
BibTeX
@article{pacheco2026impact,
title = {{Impact of bauxite mining on mosquito communities (Diptera: Culicidae) and pathogen transmission risks in the eastern Amazon}},
author = {Mayron Mielly Morais Pacheco and Poliana da Silva Lemos and Mônica Silva Coelho and Tatiane Marques Porangaba de Oliveira and Luciano Chaves Franco Filho and Øystein Wiig and Ana Cristina Mendes‐Oliveira and Leonardo Sena and Maria Anice Mureb Sallum},
journal = {Medical and Veterinary Entomology},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1111/mve.70107},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.70107},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Impact of bauxite mining on mosquito communities (Diptera: Culicidae) and pathogen transmission risks in the eastern Amazon
AU - Mayron Mielly Morais Pacheco
AU - Poliana da Silva Lemos
AU - Mônica Silva Coelho
AU - Tatiane Marques Porangaba de Oliveira
AU - Luciano Chaves Franco Filho
AU - Øystein Wiig
AU - Ana Cristina Mendes‐Oliveira
AU - Leonardo Sena
AU - Maria Anice Mureb Sallum
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/24
JO - Medical and Veterinary Entomology
DO - 10.1111/mve.70107
UR - https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.70107
AB - Mining activities pose significant and often underestimated threats to tropical forests, with distinct ecological implications for various taxa, including mosquitoes. This study aimed to investigate the effects of bauxite mining on the diversity, composition and blood‐feeding habits of mosquito communities in the Eastern Amazon. The research was conducted in the operational area of Mineração Paragominas S.A., located in the state of Pará, Brazil, where mosquitoes were collected using CDC light traps and active search methods. Species‐level taxonomic identification was performed using morphological keys and molecular techniques. Blood meal sources were identified by targeting three mitochondrial genes: 16S, COI and Cytb. Diversity analyses were based on Rényi entropy and rarefaction and extrapolation curves, while compositional changes were assessed through Principal Coordinates Analysis (PCoA). Results showed that bauxite mining significantly alters mosquito community structure in the Eastern Amazon, with critical public health implications. Three main ecological patterns were identified: (1) increased abundance of vector and anthropophilic species (e.g., Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus) in mining areas, demonstrating their capacity to invade, establish and proliferate in remote forest habitats; (2) shifts in community composition, with the replacement of forest‐dwelling species by generalists in degraded areas and (3) a reduction in the richness of blood sources in impacted areas, compromising the protective dilution effect typically observed in preserved ecosystems. These findings identify mining zones as hotspots for spillover and spillback events, underscoring the need for integrated monitoring (vector–pathogen–host) and artificial breeding site control to mitigate public health risks.
SN - 0269-283X
SN - 1365-2915
ER -