title: Genome-Wide Divergence in the West-African Malaria Vector Anopheles melas.
abstract: Anopheles melas is a member of the recently diverged An. gambiae species complex, a model for speciation studies, and is a locally important malaria vector along the West-African coast where it breeds in brackish water. A recent population genetic study of An. melas revealed species-level genetic differentiation between three population clusters. An. melas West extends from The Gambia to the village of Tiko, Cameroon. The other mainland cluster, An. melas South, extends from the southern Cameroonian village of Ipono to Angola. Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea An. melas populations are genetically isolated from mainland populations. To examine how genetic differentiation between these An. melas forms is distributed across their genomes, we conducted a genome-wide analysis of genetic differentiation and selection using whole genome sequencing data of pooled individuals (Pool-seq) from a representative population of each cluster. The An. melas forms exhibit high levels of genetic differentiation throughout their genomes, including the presence of numerous fixed differences between clusters. Although the level of divergence between the clusters is on a par with that of other species within the An. gambiae complex, patterns of genome-wide divergence and diversity do not provide evidence for the presence of pre- and/or postmating isolating mechanisms in the form of speciation islands. These results are consistent with an allopatric divergence process with little or no introgression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843 kcdeitz@tamu.edu.
authors.forename: Kevin C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Deitz
authors.affiliation: Department of Poultry Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843.
authors.forename: Giridhar A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Athrey
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Unit, Banjul, Fajara, The Gambia.
authors.forename: Musa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jawara
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematical Sciences and Technology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway.
authors.forename: Hans J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Overgaard
authors.affiliation: Medical Care Development International, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
authors.forename: Abrahan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Matias
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843.
authors.forename: Michel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Slotman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity; D016703:Equatorial Guinea; D049810:Genetic Speciation; D014644:Genetic Variation; D049750:Genome, Insect / Q000235:genetics*; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000235:genetics*; D008288:Malaria / Q000235:genetics* / Q000635:transmission
keywords: Anopheles gambiae; Anopheles melas; Pool-seq; malaria; population genomics