Population genomics of the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus. Insights into the recent worldwide invasion

• Published in: Ecology and Evolution
• Main Authors: Kotsakiozi, Panayiota, Richardson, Joshua B., Pichler, Verena, Favia, Guido, Martins, Ademir J., Urbanelli, Sandra, Armbruster, Peter A., CACCONE, ADALGISA
• Other Authors: Caccone, Adalgisa
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley-Blackwell 2017
• Subjects: arboviruses vector; ddRAD; genetic structure; phylogeography; SNPs; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11573/1021096; https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3514

Aedes albopictus, the “Asian tiger mosquito,” is an aggressive biting mosquito native to Asia that has colonized all continents except Antarctica during the last ~30–40 years. The species is of great public health concern as it can transmit at least 26 arboviruses, including dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses. In this study, using double- digest Restriction site-Associated DNA (ddRAD) sequencing, we developed a panel of ~58,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) based on 20 worldwide Ae. albopic-tus populations representing both the invasive and the native range. We used this genomic- based approach to study the genetic structure and the differentiation of Ae. albopictus populations and to understand origin(s) and dynamics of the recent inva-sions. Our analyses indicated the existence of two major genetically differentiated population clusters, each one including both native and invasive populations. The de-tection of additional genetic structure within each major cluster supports that these SNPs can detect differentiation at a global and local scale, while the similar levels of genomic diversity between native and invasive range populations support the scenario of multiple invasions or colonization by a large number of propagules. Finally, our re-sults revealed the possible source(s) of the recent invasion in Americas, Europe, and Africa, a finding with important implications for vector- control strategies.