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Medical, Urban, and Veterinary Entomology

Poster: MUVE, Biology and Ecology

Impact of flood-induced landscape changes on mosquito community composition and host-use in the Brazilian Pantanal

Tuesday, November 11, 2025
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Pacific
Location: Exhibit Hall A-A1, OCC
Poster Display
The Pantanal is one of the richest areas of biodiversity in the world with over 600 vertebrate species sharing the same habitat with vector mosquitoes. This region undergoes annual flooding to create elevated arboreal patches of herbaceous vegetation called capões which remain dry year-round. Our study hypothesizes that capões facilitate increased vector-host interactions by serving as refugia where vertebrate hosts congregate during flooding, making them available for mosquitoes to feed upon. To test this, we sampled mosquitoes and observed vertebrate patterns at 3 sites in the Pantanal during the dry and wet seasons spanning from August 2024 (dry season) to April 2025 (wet season). At each site, 3 pairs of sampling points were established, and mosquitoes were collected using BG-sentinel traps, CDC light traps, resting shelters, and aspiration of vegetation and vertebrates were monitored using wildlife cameras. During the dry season, we collected approximately 4,000 female mosquitoes (17 species), including 56 blood-engorged females, while during the wet season, we collected nearly 30,000 individual mosquitoes (32 species), and 474 blood-engorged females. Non-engorged females were separated by species into 2,229 pools and screened for virus RNA, while engorged females were analyzed via PCR-based bloodmeal analysis to determine vertebrate host use by mosquitoes. Additionally, over 20,000 images from wildlife cameras were examined to determine vector/host interactions at each sampling point assess how vector/host density. This study seeks to understand the response of vertebrate host and vector communities to annual flooding in the Pantanal and how it influences the transmission dynamics of vector-borne disease.