Evolutionary transition from blood feeding to obligate nonbiting in a mosquito.

ABSTRACT: The spread of blood-borne pathogens by mosquitoes relies on their taking a blood meal; if there is no bite, there is no disease transmission. Although many species of mosquitoes never take a blood meal, identifying genes that distinguish blood feeding from obligate nonbiting is hampered by the fact that these different lifestyles occur in separate, genetically incompatible species. There is, however, one unique extant species with populations that share a common genetic background but blood feed in one region and are obligate nonbiters in the rest of their range: Wyeomyia smithii Contemporary blood-feeding and obligate nonbiting populations represent end points of divergence between fully interfertile southern and northern populations. This divergence has undoubtedly resulted in gen

SUBMITTER: Bradshaw WE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5798368 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature