Impact of bauxite mining on mosquito communities (Diptera: Culicidae) and pathogen transmission risks in the eastern Amazon.

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.