1
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Martins ARP, Warren NB, McMillan WO, Barrett RDH. Spatiotemporal dynamics in butterfly hybrid zones. INSECT SCIENCE 2024; 31:328-353. [PMID: 37596954 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.13262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/21/2023]
Abstract
Evaluating whether hybrid zones are stable or mobile can provide novel insights for evolution and conservation biology. Butterflies exhibit high sensitivity to environmental changes and represent an important model system for the study of hybrid zone origins and maintenance. Here, we review the literature exploring butterfly hybrid zones, with a special focus on their spatiotemporal dynamics and the potential mechanisms that could lead to their movement or stability. We then compare different lines of evidence used to investigate hybrid zone dynamics and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. Our goal with this review is to reveal general conditions associated with the stability or mobility of butterfly hybrid zones by synthesizing evidence obtained using different types of data sampled across multiple regions and spatial scales. Finally, we discuss spatiotemporal dynamics in the context of a speciation/divergence continuum, the relevance of hybrid zones for conservation biology, and recommend key topics for future investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ananda R Pereira Martins
- Redpath Museum, McGill University, 859 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Gamboa, Panama City, Panama
| | - Natalie B Warren
- Redpath Museum, McGill University, 859 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - W Owen McMillan
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Gamboa, Panama City, Panama
| | - Rowan D H Barrett
- Redpath Museum, McGill University, 859 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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2
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Weller HI, Hiller AE, Lord NP, Van Belleghem SM. recolorize: An R package for flexible colour segmentation of biological images. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14378. [PMID: 38361466 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Colour pattern variation provides biological information in fields ranging from disease ecology to speciation dynamics. Comparing colour pattern geometries across images requires colour segmentation, where pixels in an image are assigned to one of a set of colour classes shared by all images. Manual methods for colour segmentation are slow and subjective, while automated methods can struggle with high technical variation in aggregate image sets. We present recolorize, an R package toolbox for human-subjective colour segmentation with functions for batch-processing low-variation image sets and additional tools for handling images from diverse (high-variation) sources. The package also includes export options for a variety of formats and colour analysis packages. This paper illustrates recolorize for three example datasets, including high variation, batch processing and combining with reflectance spectra, and demonstrates the downstream use of methods that rely on this output.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah I Weller
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
- Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Anna E Hiller
- Museum of Natural Science and Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Nathan P Lord
- Department of Entomology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
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3
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Hanly JJ, Loh LS, Mazo-Vargas A, Rivera-Miranda TS, Livraghi L, Tendolkar A, Day CR, Liutikaite N, Earls EA, Corning OBWH, D'Souza N, Hermina-Perez JJ, Mehta C, Ainsworth JA, Rossi M, Papa R, McMillan WO, Perry MW, Martin A. Frizzled2 receives WntA signaling during butterfly wing pattern formation. Development 2023; 150:dev201868. [PMID: 37602496 PMCID: PMC10560568 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Butterfly color patterns provide visible and biodiverse phenotypic readouts of the patterning processes. Although the secreted ligand WntA has been shown to instruct the color pattern formation in butterflies, its mode of reception remains elusive. Butterfly genomes encode four homologs of the Frizzled-family of Wnt receptors. Here, we show that CRISPR mosaic knockouts of frizzled2 (fz2) phenocopy the color pattern effects of WntA loss of function in multiple nymphalids. Whereas WntA mosaic clones result in intermediate patterns of reduced size, fz2 clones are cell-autonomous, consistent with a morphogen function. Shifts in expression of WntA and fz2 in WntA crispant pupae show that they are under positive and negative feedback, respectively. Fz1 is required for Wnt-independent planar cell polarity in the wing epithelium. Fz3 and Fz4 show phenotypes consistent with Wnt competitive-antagonist functions in vein formation (Fz3 and Fz4), wing margin specification (Fz3), and color patterning in the Discalis and Marginal Band Systems (Fz4). Overall, these data show that the WntA/Frizzled2 morphogen-receptor pair forms a signaling axis that instructs butterfly color patterning and shed light on the functional diversity of insect Frizzled receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph J. Hanly
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Gamboa 0843-03092, Panama
| | - Ling S. Loh
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Anyi Mazo-Vargas
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | | | - Luca Livraghi
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Gamboa 0843-03092, Panama
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Amruta Tendolkar
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Christopher R. Day
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
- Epigenetics and Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Neringa Liutikaite
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Emily A. Earls
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Olaf B. W. H. Corning
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Natalie D'Souza
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - José J. Hermina-Perez
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Caroline Mehta
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Julia A. Ainsworth
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Matteo Rossi
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich 80539, Germany
| | - Riccardo Papa
- Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras, San Juan 00931, Puerto Rico
- Molecular Sciences and Research Center, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan 00931, Puerto Rico
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche della Vita e della Sostenibilità Ambientale, Università di Parma, Parma 43121, Italy
| | - W. Owen McMillan
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Gamboa 0843-03092, Panama
| | - Michael W. Perry
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Arnaud Martin
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Gamboa 0843-03092, Panama
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4
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Farfán-Pira KJ, Martínez-Cuevas TI, Evans TA, Nahmad M. A cis-regulatory sequence of the selector gene vestigial drives the evolution of wing scaling in Drosophila species. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb244692. [PMID: 37078652 PMCID: PMC10234621 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.244692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2023]
Abstract
Scaling between specific organs and overall body size has long fascinated biologists, being a primary mechanism by which organ shapes evolve. Yet, the genetic mechanisms that underlie the evolution of scaling relationships remain elusive. Here, we compared wing and fore tibia lengths (the latter as a proxy of body size) in Drosophila melanogaster, Drosophila simulans, Drosophila ananassae and Drosophila virilis, and show that the first three of these species have roughly a similar wing-to-tibia scaling behavior. In contrast, D. virilis exhibits much smaller wings relative to their body size compared with the other species and this is reflected in the intercept of the wing-to-tibia allometry. We then asked whether the evolution of this relationship could be explained by changes in a specific cis-regulatory region or enhancer that drives expression of the wing selector gene, vestigial (vg), whose function is broadly conserved in insects and contributes to wing size. To test this hypothesis directly, we used CRISPR/Cas9 to replace the DNA sequence of the predicted Quadrant Enhancer (vgQE) from D. virilis for the corresponding vgQE sequence in the genome of D. melanogaster. Strikingly, we discovered that D. melanogaster flies carrying the D. virilis vgQE sequence have wings that are significantly smaller with respect to controls, partially shifting the intercept of the wing-to-tibia scaling relationship towards that observed in D. virilis. We conclude that a single cis-regulatory element in D. virilis contributes to constraining wing size in this species, supporting the hypothesis that scaling could evolve through genetic variations in cis-regulatory elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keity J. Farfán-Pira
- Department of Physiology, Biophysics and Neurosciences, Centre for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (Cinvestav-IPN), Mexico City 07360, Mexico
| | - Teresa I. Martínez-Cuevas
- Department of Physiology, Biophysics and Neurosciences, Centre for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (Cinvestav-IPN), Mexico City 07360, Mexico
| | - Timothy A. Evans
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
| | - Marcos Nahmad
- Department of Physiology, Biophysics and Neurosciences, Centre for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (Cinvestav-IPN), Mexico City 07360, Mexico
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5
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Van Belleghem SM, Ruggieri AA, Concha C, Livraghi L, Hebberecht L, Rivera ES, Ogilvie JG, Hanly JJ, Warren IA, Planas S, Ortiz-Ruiz Y, Reed R, Lewis JJ, Jiggins CD, Counterman BA, McMillan WO, Papa R. High level of novelty under the hood of convergent evolution. Science 2023; 379:1043-1049. [PMID: 36893249 PMCID: PMC11000492 DOI: 10.1126/science.ade0004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023]
Abstract
Little is known about the extent to which species use homologous regulatory architectures to achieve phenotypic convergence. By characterizing chromatin accessibility and gene expression in developing wing tissues, we compared the regulatory architecture of convergence between a pair of mimetic butterfly species. Although a handful of color pattern genes are known to be involved in their convergence, our data suggest that different mutational paths underlie the integration of these genes into wing pattern development. This is supported by a large fraction of accessible chromatin being exclusive to each species, including the de novo lineage-specific evolution of a modular optix enhancer. These findings may be explained by a high level of developmental drift and evolutionary contingency that occurs during the independent evolution of mimicry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven M. Van Belleghem
- Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico
- Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, Biology Department, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Angelo A. Ruggieri
- Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico
| | - Carolina Concha
- Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Republic of Panama
| | - Luca Livraghi
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Republic of Panama
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Laura Hebberecht
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Republic of Panama
- School of Biological Sciences, Bristol University, Bristol, UK
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Edgardo Santiago Rivera
- Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Republic of Panama
- Department of Biomaterials, Universität Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - James G. Ogilvie
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Republic of Panama
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
| | - Joseph J. Hanly
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Republic of Panama
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Ian A. Warren
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Silvia Planas
- Molecular Sciences and Research Center, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Yadira Ortiz-Ruiz
- Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico
- Molecular Sciences and Research Center, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Robert Reed
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - James J. Lewis
- Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA
| | | | | | - W. Owen McMillan
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Republic of Panama
| | - Riccardo Papa
- Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico
- Molecular Sciences and Research Center, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
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6
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Maisonneuve L, Smadi C, Llaurens V. Evolutionary origins of sexual dimorphism: Lessons from female-limited mimicry in butterflies. Evolution 2022; 76:2404-2423. [PMID: 36005294 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The striking female-limited mimicry observed in some butterfly species is a text-book example of sexually dimorphic trait submitted to intense natural selection. Two main evolutionary hypotheses, based on natural and sexual selection respectively, have been proposed. Predation pressure favoring mimicry toward defended species could be higher in females because of their slower flight, and thus overcome developmental constraints favoring the ancestral trait that limits the evolution of mimicry in males but not in females. Alternatively, the evolution of mimicry in males could be limited by female preference for non-mimetic males. However, the evolutionary origin of female preference for non-mimetic males remains unclear. Here, we hypothesize that costly sexual interactions between individuals from distinct sympatric species might intensify because of mimicry, therefore promoting female preference for non-mimetic trait. Using a mathematical model, we compare the evolution of female-limited mimicry when assuming either alternative selective hypotheses. We show that the patterns of divergence of male and female trait from the ancestral traits can differ between these selection regimes. We specifically highlight that divergence in female trait is not a signature of the effect of natural selection. Our results also evidence why female-limited mimicry is more frequently observed in Batesian mimics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludovic Maisonneuve
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, CP 50, 57 rue Cuvier, Paris, 75005, France
| | - Charline Smadi
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, INRAE, LESSEM, France, Saint-Martin-d'Hères, 38402.,Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Institut Fourier, Gières, 38610, France
| | - Violaine Llaurens
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, CP 50, 57 rue Cuvier, Paris, 75005, France
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7
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Betancourth-Cundar M, Palacios-Rodriguez P. Reproductive behaviors promote ecological and phenotypic sexual differentiation in the critically endangered Lehmann’s poison frog. Evol Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-022-10207-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
AbstractTerritoriality and parental care are complex reproductive behaviors found in many taxa from insects to mammals. Parental care can be carried out by the female, the male, or both, depending on the species. Territoriality, in contrast, is predominantly displayed by males. Different selective pressures imposed on individuals from the sex performing territorial or parental care behaviors may also lead to sexual differentiation in other life-history traits. Due to their territorial behavior and their diversity of parental care behaviors, Neotropical poison frogs are an excellent study system to investigate whether behavioral traits can influence sexual differentiation in intrinsic or extrinsic traits of individuals. Here, we evaluate whether territorial and parental care behaviors mediate sexual differentiation in ecological (habitat use) and phenotypic (coloration, morphology) traits in the critically endangered Lehmann’s poison frog (Oophaga lehmanni), a species in which males defend territories while females provide parental care. We found sex differences in habitat use and morphological traits, but not in coloration. Males use trunks and green leaves as perches more frequently and are found on higher substrates, than females. We found no sex differences in body size, but females have longer arms than males, which is probably associated with their parental duties (climbing trees to feed the tadpoles). Altogether, our results provide evidence that selection pressures act differently on male and female traits, and that territoriality and parental care may promote the evolution of sexual differentiation in dendrobatids. Long-term wildlife observations are essential to identify important life-history traits and to evaluate hypotheses about the behavioral ecology and conservation of this and other vertebrate species.
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8
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Linke D, Elias M, Klečková I, Mappes J, Matos-Maraví P. Shape of Evasive Prey Can Be an Important Cue That Triggers Learning in Avian Predators. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.910695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Advertising escape ability could reduce predatory attacks. However, the effectiveness of certain phenotypic cues (e.g., color, shape, and size) in signaling evasiveness is still unknown. Understanding the role of such signals in driving predator learning is important to infer the evolutionary mechanisms leading to convergent evasiveness signals among prey species (i.e., evasive mimicry). We aim to understand the role of the color pattern (white patches on dark background) and morphology (extended butterfly hindwings) in driving learning and avoidance of escaping prey by surrogate avian predators, the European blue tit. These cues are common in butterflies and have been suspected to advertise escape ability in nature. We use dummy butterflies harboring shape and color patterns commonly found in skippers (family Hesperiidae). The prey models displayed the studied phenotypical cues (hindwing tails and white bands) in factorial combinations, and we tested whether those cues were learned as evasive signals and were generalised to different phenotypes. Our results suggest that hindwing tails and white bands can be associated with prey evasiveness. In addition, wild blue tits might learn and avoid attacking prey models bearing the studied phenotypic cues. Although blue tits seem to have an initial preference for the phenotype consisting of white patches and hindwing tails, the probability of attacking it was substantially reduced once the cues were associated with escaping ability. This suggests that the same morphological cues might be interchangeable as preference/avoidance signals. Further investigation of the salience of hindwing tails vs. white bands as cues for escaping ability, revealed that predators can associate both color pattern and shape to the difficulty of capture, and possibly generalize their aversion to other prey harboring those cues. More studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm this trend. Altogether, our results highlight the hitherto overlooked role of shape (butterfly hindwing tails) for signaling prey unprofitability.
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9
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Ogilvie JG, Van Belleghem S, Range R, Papa R, McMillan OW, Chouteau M, Counterman BA. Balanced polymorphisms and their divergence in a Heliconius butterfly. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:18319-18330. [PMID: 35003675 PMCID: PMC8717333 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution of mimicry in similarly defended prey is well described by the Müllerian mimicry theory, which predicts the convergence of warning patterns in order to gain the most protection from predators. However, despite this prediction, we can find great diversity of color patterns among Müllerian mimics such as Heliconius butterflies in the neotropics. Furthermore, some species have evolved the ability to maintain multiple distinct warning patterns in single populations, a phenomenon known as polymorphic mimicry. The adaptive benefit of these polymorphisms is questionable since variation from the most common warning patterns is expected to be disadvantageous as novel signals are punished by predators naive to them. In this study, we use artificial butterfly models throughout Central and South America to characterize the selective pressures maintaining polymorphic mimicry in Heliconius doris. Our results highlight the complexity of positive frequency-dependent selection, the principal selective pressure driving convergence among Müllerian mimics, and its impacts on interspecific variation of mimetic warning coloration. We further show how this selection regime can both limit and facilitate the diversification of mimetic traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- James G. Ogilvie
- Department of Biological SciencesAuburn UniversityAuburnAlabamaUSA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research InstitutePanama CityPanama
| | | | - Ryan Range
- Department of Biological SciencesAuburn UniversityAuburnAlabamaUSA
| | - Riccardo Papa
- Department of BiologyUniversity of Puerto RicoRio PiedrasPuerto Rico
| | | | - Mathieu Chouteau
- Laboratoire Écologie, Évolution, Interactions des Systèmes Amazoniens (LEEISA)Université de GuyaneCNRSIFREMERCayenneFrench Guiana
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10
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Glimm T, Kiskowski M, Moreno N, Chiari Y. Capturing and analyzing pattern diversity: an example using the melanistic spotted patterns of leopard geckos. PeerJ 2021; 9:e11829. [PMID: 34595062 PMCID: PMC8436963 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal color patterns are widely studied in ecology, evolution, and through mathematical modeling. Patterns may vary among distinct body parts such as the head, trunk or tail. As large amounts of photographic data is becoming more easily available, there is a growing need for general quantitative methods for capturing and analyzing the full complexity and details of pattern variation. Detailed information on variation in color pattern elements is necessary to understand how patterns are produced and established during development, and which evolutionary forces may constrain such a variation. Here, we develop an approach to capture and analyze variation in melanistic color pattern elements in leopard geckos. We use this data to study the variation among different body parts of leopard geckos and to draw inferences about their development. We compare patterns using 14 different indices such as the ratio of melanistic versus total area, the ellipticity of spots, and the size of spots and use these to define a composite distance between two patterns. Pattern presence/absence among the different body parts indicates a clear pathway of pattern establishment from the head to the back legs. Together with weak within-individual correlation between leg patterns and main body patterns, this suggests that pattern establishment in the head and tail may be independent from the rest of the body. We found that patterns vary greatest in size and density of the spots among body parts and individuals, but little in their average shapes. We also found a correlation between the melanistic patterns of the two front legs, as well as the two back legs, and also between the head, tail and trunk, especially for the density and size of the spots, but not their shape or inter-spot distance. Our data collection and analysis approach can be applied to other organisms to study variation in color patterns between body parts and to address questions on pattern formation and establishment in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tilmann Glimm
- Department of Mathematics, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, United States of America
| | - Maria Kiskowski
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, United States of America
| | - Nickolas Moreno
- Department of Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, United States of America
| | - Ylenia Chiari
- Department of Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, United States of America
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11
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Waters JM, McCulloch GA. Reinventing the wheel? Reassessing the roles of gene flow, sorting and convergence in repeated evolution. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:4162-4172. [PMID: 34133810 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Biologists have long been intrigued by apparently predictable and repetitive evolutionary trajectories inferred across a variety of lineages and systems. In recent years, high-throughput sequencing analyses have started to transform our understanding of such repetitive shifts. While researchers have traditionally categorized such shifts as either "convergent" or "parallel," based on relatedness of the lineages involved, emerging genomic insights provide an opportunity to better describe the actual evolutionary mechanisms at play. A synthesis of recent genomic analyses confirms that convergence is the predominant driver of repetitive evolution among species, whereas repeated sorting of standing variation is the major driver of repeated shifts within species. However, emerging data reveal numerous notable exceptions to these expectations, with recent examples of de novo mutations underpinning convergent shifts among even very closely related lineages, while repetitive sorting processes have occurred among even deeply divergent taxa, sometimes via introgression. A number of very recent analyses have found evidence for both processes occurring on different scales within taxa. We suggest that the relative importance of convergent versus sorting processes depends on the interplay between gene flow among populations, and phylogenetic relatedness of the lineages involved.
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12
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Motyka M, Kusy D, Masek M, Bocek M, Li Y, Bilkova R, Kapitán J, Yagi T, Bocak L. Conspicuousness, phylogenetic structure, and origins of Müllerian mimicry in 4000 lycid beetles from all zoogeographic regions. Sci Rep 2021; 11:5961. [PMID: 33727670 PMCID: PMC7971032 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-85567-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Biologists have reported on the chemical defences and the phenetic similarity of net-winged beetles (Coleoptera: Lycidae) and their co-mimics. Nevertheless, our knowledge has remained fragmental, and the evolution of mimetic patterns has not been studied in the phylogenetic context. We illustrate the general appearance of ~ 600 lycid species and ~ 200 co-mimics and their distribution. Further, we assemble the phylogeny using the transcriptomic backbone and ~ 570 species. Using phylogenetic information, we closely scrutinise the relationships among aposematically coloured species, the worldwide diversity, and the distribution of aposematic patterns. The emitted visual signals differ in conspicuousness. The uniform coloured dorsum is ancestral and was followed by the evolution of bicoloured forms. The mottled patterns, i.e. fasciate, striate, punctate, and reticulate, originated later in the course of evolution. The highest number of sympatrically occurring patterns was recovered in New Guinea and the Andean mountain ecosystems (the areas of the highest abundance), and in continental South East Asia (an area of moderate abundance but high in phylogenetic diversity). Consequently, a large number of co-existing aposematic patterns in a single region and/or locality is the rule, in contrast with the theoretical prediction, and predators do not face a simple model-like choice but cope with complex mimetic communities. Lycids display an ancestral aposematic signal even though they sympatrically occur with differently coloured unprofitable relatives. We show that the highly conspicuous patterns evolve within communities predominantly formed by less conspicuous Müllerian mimics and, and often only a single species displays a novel pattern. Our work is a forerunner to the detailed research into the aposematic signalling of net-winged beetles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Motyka
- grid.10979.360000 0001 1245 3953Laboratory of Diversity and Molecular Evolution, CATRIN-CRH, Palacky University, 17. listopadu 50, 771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Dominik Kusy
- grid.10979.360000 0001 1245 3953Laboratory of Diversity and Molecular Evolution, CATRIN-CRH, Palacky University, 17. listopadu 50, 771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Masek
- grid.10979.360000 0001 1245 3953Laboratory of Diversity and Molecular Evolution, CATRIN-CRH, Palacky University, 17. listopadu 50, 771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Matej Bocek
- grid.10979.360000 0001 1245 3953Laboratory of Diversity and Molecular Evolution, CATRIN-CRH, Palacky University, 17. listopadu 50, 771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Yun Li
- grid.10979.360000 0001 1245 3953Laboratory of Diversity and Molecular Evolution, CATRIN-CRH, Palacky University, 17. listopadu 50, 771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - R. Bilkova
- grid.10979.360000 0001 1245 3953Laboratory of Diversity and Molecular Evolution, CATRIN-CRH, Palacky University, 17. listopadu 50, 771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Josef Kapitán
- grid.10979.360000 0001 1245 3953Department of Optics, Faculty of Science, Palacky University, 17. listopadu 12, 771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Takashi Yagi
- grid.261455.10000 0001 0676 0594Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka Prefecture University, 1-2 Gakuen-cho, Naka-ku, Sakai, Osaka 599-8570 Japan
| | - Ladislav Bocak
- grid.10979.360000 0001 1245 3953Laboratory of Diversity and Molecular Evolution, CATRIN-CRH, Palacky University, 17. listopadu 50, 771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic
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Van Belleghem SM, Lewis JJ, Rivera ES, Papa R. Heliconius butterflies: a window into the evolution and development of diversity. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2021; 69:72-81. [PMID: 33714874 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2021.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Revised: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Butterflies have become prominent models for studying the evolution and development of phenotypic variation. In Heliconius, extraordinary within species divergence and between species convergence in wing color patterns has driven decades of comparative genetic studies. However, connecting genetic patterns of diversification to the molecular mechanisms of adaptation has remained elusive. Recent studies are bridging this gap between genome and function and have driven substantial advances in deciphering the genetic architecture of diversification in Heliconius. While only a handful of large-effect genes were initially identified in the diversification of Heliconius color patterns, recent experiments have begun to unravel the underlying gene regulatory networks and how these have evolved. These results reveal an evolutionary story of many interacting loci and partly independent genetic architectures that underlie convergent evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - James J Lewis
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA; Baker Institute for Animal Health, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Edgardo S Rivera
- Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico; Chairs of Biomaterials, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Bayern, Germany
| | - Riccardo Papa
- Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico; Molecular Sciences and Research Center, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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14
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Morris J, Hanly JJ, Martin SH, Van Belleghem SM, Salazar C, Jiggins CD, Dasmahapatra KK. Deep Convergence, Shared Ancestry, and Evolutionary Novelty in the Genetic Architecture of Heliconius Mimicry. Genetics 2020; 216:765-780. [PMID: 32883703 PMCID: PMC7648585 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.120.303611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Convergent evolution can occur through different genetic mechanisms in different species. It is now clear that convergence at the genetic level is also widespread, and can be caused by either (i) parallel genetic evolution, where independently evolved convergent mutations arise in different populations or species, or (ii) collateral evolution in which shared ancestry results from either ancestral polymorphism or introgression among taxa. The adaptive radiation of Heliconius butterflies shows color pattern variation within species, as well as mimetic convergence between species. Using comparisons from across multiple hybrid zones, we use signals of shared ancestry to identify and refine multiple putative regulatory elements in Heliconius melpomene and its comimics, Heliconius elevatus and Heliconius besckei, around three known major color patterning genes: optix, WntA, and cortex While we find that convergence between H. melpomene and H. elevatus is caused by a complex history of collateral evolution via introgression in the Amazon, convergence between these species in the Guianas appears to have evolved independently. Thus, we find adaptive convergent genetic evolution to be a key driver of regulatory changes that lead to rapid phenotypic changes. Furthermore, we uncover evidence of parallel genetic evolution at some loci around optix and WntA in H. melpomene and its distant comimic Heliconius erato Ultimately, we show that all three of convergence, conservation, and novelty underlie the modular architecture of Heliconius color pattern mimicry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jake Morris
- Department of Biology, University of York, Heslington YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - Joseph J Hanly
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, United Kingdom
| | - Simon H Martin
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, The University of Edinburgh, Ashworth Laboratories, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, United Kingdom
| | - Steven M Van Belleghem
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, United Kingdom
| | - Camilo Salazar
- Biology Program, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá 111221, Colombia
| | - Chris D Jiggins
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, United Kingdom
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15
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Butterfly Conservation in China: From Science to Action. INSECTS 2020; 11:insects11100661. [PMID: 32992975 PMCID: PMC7600441 DOI: 10.3390/insects11100661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2020] [Revised: 09/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
About 10% of the Earth's butterfly species inhabit the highly diverse ecosystems of China. Important for the ecological, economic, and cultural services they provide, many butterfly species experience threats from land use shifts and climate change. China has recently adopted policies to protect the nation's biodiversity resources. This essay examines the current management of butterflies in China and suggests various easily implementable actions that could improve these conservation efforts. Our recommendations are based on the observations of a transdisciplinary group of entomologists and environmental policy specialists. Our analysis draws on other successful examples around the world that China may wish to consider. China needs to modify its scientific methodologies behind butterfly conservation management: revising the criteria for listing protected species, focusing on umbrella species for broader protection, identifying high priority areas and refugia for conservation, among others. Rural and urban land uses that provide heterogeneous habitats, as well as butterfly host and nectar plants, must be promoted. Butterfly ranching and farming may also provide opportunities for sustainable community development. Many possibilities exist for incorporating observations of citizen scientists into butterfly data collection at broad spatial and temporal scales. Our recommendations further the ten Priority Areas of China's National Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan (2011-2030).
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