Gene flow networks among American Aedes aegypti populations

The mosquito Aedes aegypti, the dengue virus vector, has spread throughout the tropics in historical times. While this suggests man‐mediated dispersal, estimating contemporary connectivity among populations has remained elusive. Here, we use a large mtDNA dataset and a Bayesian coalescent framework...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Evolutionary applications 2012-11, Vol.5 (7), p.664-676
Main Authors: Gonçalves da Silva, Anders, Cunha, Ivana C. L., Santos, Walter S., Luz, Sérgio L. B., Ribolla, Paulo E. M., Abad‐Franch, Fernando
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aedes aegypti
Amazonia
Bayesian analysis
coalescent
dengue
Dengue fever
Dengue virus
disease spread
Dispersal
Ecology
Epidemics
Evolution
Gene flow
Genetic structure
Genomes
Mathematical models
Medicine
Migrate‐N
Mitochondrial DNA
Molecular biology
Mosquitoes
Mutation
ND4
networks
Neutrality
Original
Phylogenetics
Phylogeography
Polymorphism
Population genetics
Population growth
Trends
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Summary:The mosquito Aedes aegypti, the dengue virus vector, has spread throughout the tropics in historical times. While this suggests man‐mediated dispersal, estimating contemporary connectivity among populations has remained elusive. Here, we use a large mtDNA dataset and a Bayesian coalescent framework to test a set of hypotheses about gene flow among American Ae. aegypti populations. We assessed gene flow patterns at the continental and subregional (Amazon basin) scales. For the Americas, our data favor a stepping‐stone model in which gene flow is higher among adjacent populations but in which, at the same time, North American and southeastern Brazilian populations are directly connected, likely via sea trade. Within Amazonia, the model with highest support suggests extensive gene flow among major cities; Manaus, located at the center of the subregional transport network, emerges as a potentially important connecting hub. Our results suggest substantial connectivity across Ae. aegypti populations in the Americas. As long‐distance active dispersal has not been observed in this species, our data support man‐mediated dispersal as a major determinant of the genetic structure of American Ae. aegypti populations. The inferred topology of interpopulation connectivity can inform network models of Ae. aegypti and dengue spread.
ISSN:1752-4571
1752-4571
DOI:10.1111/j.1752-4571.2012.00244.x