Data from: Extensive genetic diversity among populations of the malaria mosquito Anopheles moucheti revealed by population genomics

Malaria vectors are exposed to intense selective pressures due to
large-scale intervention programs that are underway in most African
countries. One of the current priorities is therefore to clearly assess
the adaptive potential of Anopheline populations, which is critical to
understand and anticipate the response mosquitoes can elicit against such
adaptive challenges. The development of genomic resources that will
empower robust examinations of evolutionary changes in all vectors
including currently understudied species is an inevitable step toward this
goal. Here we constructed double-digest Restriction Associated DNA (ddRAD)
libraries and generated 6461 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) that
we used to explore the population structure and demographic history of
wild-caught Anopheles moucheti from Cameroon. The genome-wide distribution
of allelic frequencies among samples best fitted that of an old population
at equilibrium, characterized by a weak genetic structure and extensive
genetic diversity, presumably due to a large long term effective
population size. Estimates of FST and Linkage Disequilibrium (LD) across
SNPs reveal a very low genetic differentiation throughout the genome and
the absence of segregating LD blocks among populations, suggesting an
overall lack of local adaptation. Our study provides the first
investigation of the genetic structure and diversity in An. moucheti at
the genomic scale. We conclude that, despite a weak genetic structure,
this species has the potential to challenge current vector control
measures and other rapid anthropogenic and environmental changes thanks to
its great genetic diversity.