Aalbo1200: global genetic differentiation and variability of the mosquito Aedes albopictus

Abstract

The mosquito Aedes albopictus transmits human viruses including dengue and chikungunya and is an extremely successful invasive species expanding into new regions of the world. New tools are needed to complement existing tools to help monitor and control this species. Genomic resources are improving for this species including genome reference sequences, and whole genome sequencing data will help to catalog genetic diversity in this species and further enable genetic analysis. We collected populations of Ae. albopictus from throughout its distribution and generated whole genome sequencing data from population samples. These data will be used to address a number of basic and applied questions for this species. Here, we show genetic differentiation patterns among the tropical and temperate forms, as well as finer scale genetic clustering at the regional and population scale. These data and results will be a valuable resource for further study and tool development for this species.