Radiation with reticulation marks the origin of a major malaria vector
Open Access
- 15 December 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
- Vol. 117 (50), 31583-31590
- https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2018142117
Abstract
Advances in genomics have led to an appreciation that introgression is common, but its evolutionary consequences are poorly understood. In recent species radiations the sharing of genetic variation across porous species boundaries can facilitate adaptation to new environments and generate novel phenotypes, which may contribute to further diversification. Most Anopheles mosquito species that are of major importance as human malaria vectors have evolved within recent and rapid radiations of largely nonvector species. Here, we focus on one of the most medically important yet understudied anopheline radiations, the Afrotropical Anopheles funestus complex (AFC), to investigate the role of introgression in its diversification and the possible link between introgression and vector potential. The AFC comprises at least seven morphologically similar species, yet only An. funestus sensu stricto is a highly efficient malaria vector with a pan-African distribution. Based on de novo genome assemblies and additional whole-genome resequencing, we use phylogenomic and population genomic analyses to establish species relationships. We show that extensive interspecific gene flow involving multiple species pairs has shaped the evolutionary history of the AFC since its diversification. The most recent introgression event involved a massive and asymmetrical movement of genes from a distantly related AFC lineage into An. funestus, an event that predated and plausibly facilitated its subsequent dramatic geographic range expansion across most of tropical Africa. We propose that introgression may be a common mechanism facilitating adaptation to new environments and enhancing vectorial capacity in Anopheles mosquitoes.Funding Information
- Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1141988 Target Malaria)
- HHS | NIH | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (R21 AI123491)
- National Science Foundation (DEB-1936187)
- Adaptive Life Program (GELIFES), University of Groningen
This publication has 67 references indexed in Scilit:
- Population genetic structure of the major malaria vector Anopheles funestus s.s. and allied species in southern AfricaParasites & Vectors, 2012
- Novel Vectors of Malaria Parasite in the Western Highlands of KenyaEmerging Infectious Diseases, 2012
- Comparative phylogeography of African savannah ungulates1Molecular Ecology, 2012
- Genome sequencing reveals complex speciation in the Drosophila simulans cladeGenome Research, 2012
- Ecological Genomics ofAnopheles gambiaeAlong a Latitudinal Cline: A Population-Resequencing ApproachGenetics, 2012
- Simultaneous identification of the Anopheles funestus group and Anopheles longipalpis type C by PCR-RFLPMalaria Journal, 2010
- A Draft Sequence of the Neandertal GenomeScience, 2010
- Sequence variation within the rRNA gene loci of 12 Drosophila speciesGenome Research, 2007
- East African megadroughts between 135 and 75 thousand years ago and bearing on early-modern human originsProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2007
- Ecological consequences of early Late Pleistocene megadroughts in tropical AfricaProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2007