Population genetics of an invasive mosquito vector, Aedes albopictus in the Northeastern USA

By

Gloria-Soria, Andrea
Shragai, Talya
Ciota, Alexander
Duval, Todd
Alto, Barry
Martins, Ademir
Westby, Kathleen
Medley, Kim
Unlu, Isik
Campbell, Scott
Kawalkowski, Malgorzata
Tsuda, Yoshio
Higa, Yukiko
Indelicato, Nicholas
Leisnham, Paul T
Caccone, Adalgisa
Armstrong, Philip

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2022

Original Publication

NeoBiota : advancing research on alien species and biological invasions

Volume

78

Pages

99--127

Subjects

Asian tiger mosquito , Colonization , container-breeder , invasion genetics , propagule pressure , range expansion

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sophia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.78.84986

 

Abstract

The Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) arrived in the USA in the 1980’s and rapidly spread throughout eastern USA within a decade. The predicted northern edge of its overwintering distribution on the East Coast of the USA roughly falls across New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, where the species has been recorded as early as 2000. It is unclear whether Ae. albopictus populations have become established and survive the cold winters in these areas or are recolonized every year. We genotyped and analyzed populations of Ae. albopictus from the northeast USA using 15 microsatellite markers and compared them with other populations across the country and to representatives of the major global genetic clades to investigate their connectivity and stability. Founder effects or bottlenecks were rare at the northern range of the Ae. albopictus distribution in the northeastern USA, with populations displaying high levels of genetic diversity and connectivity along the East Coast. There is no evidence of population turnover in Connecticut during the course of three consecutive years, with consistent genetic structure throughout this period. Overall, these results support the presence of established populations of Ae. albopictus in New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, successfully overwintering and migrating in large numbers. Given the stability and interconnectedness of these populations, Ae. albopictus has the potential to continue to proliferate and expand its range northward under mean warming conditions of climate change. Efforts to control Ae. albopictus in these areas should thus focus on vector suppression rather than eradication strategies, as local populations have become firmly established and are expected to reemerge every summer.