Tsetse Population Genetics

In the context of an area-wide integrated pest management (AW-IPM) applied to tsetse flies that are vectors of African Trypanosomosis (AT), which remains one of the major constraints to agriculture and cattle breeding in Africa, understanding the spatial population genetic structure of target tsetse species helps identifying isolated populations that are potential candidates for eradication using the sterile insect technique (SIT). Particularly, species distribution models (SDMs), combined with genetic connectivity maps, can significantly enhance decision-making by helping to identify areas critical for vector control. The SDMs predict where vector species are likely to thrive under current and future environmental conditions, while genetic connectivity maps reveal the movement and connectivity of vector populations across landscapes. Expansion of these methods and tools, as well as the development of improved markers for species and subspecies identification and discrimination between sterile and wild males, and for population genetic studies, are needed. The proposed CRP aims to conduct an extensive sampling of tsetse flies in the African continent mainly in areas where have not been conducted, gather the SDMs and genetic connectivity maps to enable the effective choice for SIT implementation against tsetse flies through a multidisciplinary approach involving expert entomologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, modelers, and ecologists.
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