Chromosome inversions and ecological plasticity in the main African malaria mosquitoes.

ABSTRACT: Chromosome inversions have fascinated the scientific community, mainly because of their role in the rapid adaption of different taxa to changing environments. However, the ecological traits linked to chromosome inversions have been poorly studied. Here, we investigated the roles played by 23 chromosome inversions in the adaptation of the four major African malaria mosquitoes to local environments in Africa. We studied their distribution patterns by using spatially explicit modeling and characterized the ecogeographical determinants of each inversion range. We then performed hierarchical clustering and constrained ordination analyses to assess the spatial and ecological similarities among inversions. Our results show that most inversions are environmentally structured, suggesting that they

SUBMITTER: Ayala D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5340588 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature