Spatiotemporal variation in abundance and genetic structure in an urban–rural landscape: 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 United States. Despite its importance, we know little about its population genetics at fine spatial scales that correspond to the level of management units. To remedy this lack of information, we analyzed Ae. albopictus spatial variation in mosquito abundance and genetic structure in an urban–rural landscape over 2 years (2016 and 2018) in Wake County, NC, United States. We used a reduced representation sequencing method to generate between 1,100 and 30,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms for population genetic analyses. We found spatial variation in both the abundance and genetic diversity, and significant differences in genetic divergence among sites that varied between the 2 years. The year-to-year variation in the population genetic patterns at the within-county scale suggests a dynamic system that requires extensive geographic, temporal, and genomic sampling to resolve.