Genomic insights into adaptive divergence and speciation among malaria vectors of the Anopheles nili group

Ongoing speciation in most African malaria vectors gives rise to cryptic populations, which differ remarkably in their behaviour, ecology and capacity to vector malaria parasites. Understanding the population structure and the drivers of genetic differentiation among mosquitoes is crucial for effective disease control because heterogeneity within species contribute to variability in malaria cases and allow fractions of vector populations to escape control efforts. To examine the population structure and the potential impacts of recent large-scale control interventions, we have investigated the genomic patterns of differentiation in mosquitoes belonging to the Anopheles nili group — a large taxonomic group that diverged ~3Myr ago. Using 4343 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), we detected strong population structure characterized by high FST values between multiple divergent populations adapted to different habitats within the Central African rainforest. Delineating the cryptic speci...

大多数非洲疟疾媒介正在经历的物种形成过程，催生了诸多隐存种群（cryptic populations）——这类种群在行为特征、生态学特性以及疟原虫传播能力上均存在显著差异。解析蚊虫的种群结构及其遗传分化的驱动因素，对于疾病防控工作至关重要：物种内的异质性会导致疟疾病例数出现波动，同时还会使部分媒介种群得以逃脱防控措施的压制。为了探究种群结构以及近期大规模防控干预措施可能产生的影响，我们对隶属于按蚊属（Anopheles）尼氏按蚊组（Anopheles nili group）的蚊虫的基因组分化模式展开了研究——该类群是一个分化时长约300万年的大型分类学类群。我们借助4343个单核苷酸多态性位点（single nucleotide polymorphisms, SNPs），在中非雨林内多个适应不同生境的分化种群之间，检测到了以高固定化指数（FST）值为特征的显著种群结构。厘清这类隐存物种形成