Spatiotemporal variation in abundance and genetic structure across the urban-rural landscape gradient: Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1894) (Diptera: Culicidae) in Wake County, NC

Since its invasion of the United States in the 1980s, Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1894) has become a major pest and a significant public health threat in the Southeastern USA. Despite its importance, we know little about its population genetics at fine spatial scales. To remedy this lack of information, we analyzed Ae. albopictus spatial variation in mosquito abundance and genetic structure in an urban-rural landscape over two years (2016 and 2018) in Wake County, NC, USA. We used a reduced representation sequencing method to generate between 11,00 to 30,000 SNPs that were used for population genetic analyses. We found spatial variation in both the abundance, genetic diversity, and significant differences in genetic divergence among sites that varied between the two years. The year-to-year variation in the population genetic patterns at the within county scale suggests a dynamic system which requires extensive geographic, temporal, and genomic sampling to resolve.