Population structure of the invasive Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes
albopictus, in Europe
Abstract
The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is currently the most
widespread invasive mosquito species in the world. It poses a
significant threat to human health, as it is a vector for several
arboviruses. We used a SNP chip to genotype 748 Ae. albopictus
mosquitoes from 41 localities across Europe, 28 localities in the native
range in Asia, and four in the Americas. Using multiple algorithms, we
examined population genetic structure and differentiation within Europe
and across our global dataset to gain insight into the origin of the
invasive European populations. We also compared results from our SNP
data to those obtained using genotypes from 11 microsatellite loci
(N=637 mosquitoes from 25 European localities) to explore how sampling
effort and the type of genetic marker used may influence conclusions
about Ae. albopictus population structure. While some analyses detected
more than 20 clusters worldwide, we found mosquitoes could be grouped
into seven distinct genetic clusters, with most European populations
originating in East Asia (Japan or China). Interestingly, some
populations in Eastern Europe did not share genetic ancestry with any
populations from the native range or Americas, indicating that these
populations originated from areas not sampled in this study. The SNP and
microsatellite datasets found similar patterns of genetic
differentiation in Europe, but the microsatellite dataset could not
detect the more subtle genetic structure revealed using SNPs. Overall,
data from the SNP chip offered a higher resolution for detecting the
genetic structure and the potential origins of invasions.