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Dalbosco Dell'Aglio D, Rivas-Sánchez DF, Wright DS, Merrill RM, Montgomery SH. The Sensory Ecology of Speciation. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2024; 16:a041428. [PMID: 38052495 PMCID: PMC10759811 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a041428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
In this work, we explore the potential influence of sensory ecology on speciation, including but not limited to the concept of sensory drive, which concerns the coevolution of signals and sensory systems with the local environment. The sensory environment can influence individual fitness in a variety of ways, thereby affecting the evolution of both pre- and postmating reproductive isolation. Previous work focused on sensory drive has undoubtedly advanced the field, but we argue that it may have also narrowed our understanding of the broader influence of the sensory ecology on speciation. Moreover, the clearest examples of sensory drive are largely limited to aquatic organisms, which may skew the influence of contributing factors. We review the evidence for sensory drive across environmental conditions, and in this context discuss the importance of more generalized effects of sensory ecology on adaptive behavioral divergence. Finally, we consider the potential of rapid environmental change to influence reproductive barriers related to sensory ecologies. Our synthesis shows the importance of sensory conditions for local adaptation and divergence in a range of behavioral contexts and extends our understanding of the interplay between sensory ecology and speciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise Dalbosco Dell'Aglio
- School of Biological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Gamboa 0843-03092, Panama
| | - David F Rivas-Sánchez
- School of Biological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Shane Wright
- Faculty of Biology, Division of Evolutionary Biology, LMU Munich, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Richard M Merrill
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Gamboa 0843-03092, Panama
- Faculty of Biology, Division of Evolutionary Biology, LMU Munich, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Stephen H Montgomery
- School of Biological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Gamboa 0843-03092, Panama
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Wainwright JB, Schofield C, Conway M, Phillips D, Martin-Silverstone E, Brodrick EA, Cicconardi F, How MJ, Roberts NW, Montgomery SH. Multiple axes of visual system diversity in Ithomiini, an ecologically diverse tribe of mimetic butterflies. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb246423. [PMID: 37921078 PMCID: PMC10714147 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.246423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
The striking structural variation seen in arthropod visual systems can be explained by the overall quantity and spatio-temporal structure of light within habitats coupled with developmental and physiological constraints. However, little is currently known about how fine-scale variation in visual structures arises across shorter evolutionary and ecological scales. In this study, we characterise patterns of interspecific (between species), intraspecific (between sexes) and intraindividual (between eye regions) variation in the visual system of four ithomiine butterfly species. These species are part of a diverse 26-million-year-old Neotropical radiation where changes in mimetic colouration are associated with fine-scale shifts in ecology, such as microhabitat preference. Using a combination of selection analyses on visual opsin sequences, in vivo ophthalmoscopy, micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), immunohistochemistry, confocal microscopy and neural tracing, we quantify and describe physiological, anatomical and molecular traits involved in visual processing. Using these data, we provide evidence of substantial variation within the visual systems of Ithomiini, including: (i) relaxed selection on visual opsins, perhaps mediated by habitat preference, (ii) interspecific shifts in visual system physiology and anatomy, and (iii) extensive sexual dimorphism, including the complete absence of a butterfly-specific optic neuropil in the males of some species. We conclude that considerable visual system variation can exist within diverse insect radiations, hinting at the evolutionary lability of these systems to rapidly develop specialisations to distinct visual ecologies, with selection acting at the perceptual, processing and molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Benito Wainwright
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Corin Schofield
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Max Conway
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Daniel Phillips
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Elizabeth Martin-Silverstone
- Bristol Palaeobiology Group, School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Emelie A. Brodrick
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Francesco Cicconardi
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Martin J. How
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Nicholas W. Roberts
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Stephen H. Montgomery
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
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Hebberecht L, Wainwright JB, Thompson C, Kershenbaum S, McMillan WO, Montgomery SH. Plasticity and genetic effects contribute to different axes of neural divergence in a community of mimetic Heliconius butterflies. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:1116-1132. [PMID: 37341138 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 03/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023]
Abstract
Changes in ecological preference, often driven by spatial and temporal variation in resource distribution, can expose populations to environments with divergent information content. This can lead to adaptive changes in the degree to which individuals invest in sensory systems and downstream processes, to optimize behavioural performance in different contexts. At the same time, environmental conditions can produce plastic responses in nervous system development and maturation, providing an alternative route to integrating neural and ecological variation. Here, we explore how these two processes play out across a community of Heliconius butterflies. Heliconius communities exhibit multiple Mullerian mimicry rings, associated with habitat partitioning across environmental gradients. These environmental differences have previously been linked to heritable divergence in brain morphology in parapatric species pairs. They also exhibit a unique dietary adaptation, known as pollen feeding, that relies heavily on learning foraging routes, or trap-lines, between resources, which implies an important environmental influence on behavioural development. By comparing brain morphology across 133 wild-caught and insectary-reared individuals from seven Heliconius species, we find strong evidence for interspecific variation in patterns of neural investment. These largely fall into two distinct patterns of variation; first, we find consistent patterns of divergence in the size of visual brain components across both wild and insectary-reared individuals, suggesting genetically encoded divergence in the visual pathway. Second, we find interspecific differences in mushroom body size, a central component of learning and memory systems, but only among wild caught individuals. The lack of this effect in common-garden individuals suggests an extensive role for developmental plasticity in interspecific variation in the wild. Finally, we illustrate the impact of relatively small-scale spatial effects on mushroom body plasticity by performing experiments altering the cage size and structure experienced by individual H. hecale. Our data provide a comprehensive survey of community level variation in brain structure, and demonstrate that genetic effects and developmental plasticity contribute to different axes of interspecific neural variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Hebberecht
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Gamboa, Panama
| | | | | | | | | | - Stephen H Montgomery
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Gamboa, Panama
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Bartholomée O, Dwyer C, Tichit P, Caplat P, Baird E, Smith HG. Shining a light on species coexistence: visual traits drive bumblebee communities. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20222548. [PMID: 37040802 PMCID: PMC10089714 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.2548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Local coexistence of bees has been explained by flower resource partitioning, but coexisting bumblebee species often have strongly overlapping diets. We investigated if light microhabitat niche separation, underpinned by visual traits, could serve as an alternative mechanism underlying local coexistence of bumblebee species. To this end, we focused on a homogeneous flower resource-bilberry-in a heterogeneous light environment-hemi-boreal forests. We found that bumblebee communities segregated along a gradient of light intensity. The community-weighted mean of the eye parameter-a metric measuring the compromise between light sensitivity and visual resolution-decreased with light intensity, showing a higher investment in light sensitivity of communities observed in darker conditions. This pattern was consistent at the species level. In general, species with higher eye parameter (larger investment in light sensitivity) foraged in dimmer light than those with a lower eye parameter (higher investment in visual resolution). Moreover, species realized niche optimum was linearly related to their eye parameter. These results suggest microhabitat niche partitioning to be a potential mechanism underpinning bumblebee species coexistence. This study highlights the importance of considering sensory traits when studying pollinator habitat use and their ability to cope with changing environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Océane Bartholomée
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Lund 22362, Sweden
| | - Ciara Dwyer
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Lund 22362, Sweden
| | - Pierre Tichit
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund 22362, Sweden
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm 10691, Sweden
| | - Paul Caplat
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Lund 22362, Sweden
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, BT9 5DL UK
| | - Emily Baird
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm 10691, Sweden
| | - Henrik G Smith
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Lund 22362, Sweden
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund 22362, Sweden
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Wainwright JB, Montgomery SH. Neuroanatomical shifts mirror patterns of ecological divergence in three diverse clades of mimetic butterflies. Evolution 2022; 76:1806-1820. [PMID: 35767896 PMCID: PMC9540801 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Microhabitat partitioning in heterogenous environments can support more diverse communities but may expose partitioned species to distinct perceptual challenges. Divergence across microhabitats could therefore lead to local adaptation to contrasting sensory conditions across small spatial scales, but this aspect of community structuring is rarely explored. Diverse communities of ithomiine butterflies provide an example where closely related species partition tropical forests, where shifts in mimetic coloration are tightly associated with shifts in habitat preference. We test the hypothesis that these mimetic and ecological shifts are associated with distinct patterns of sensory neural investment by comparing brain structure across 164 individuals of 16 species from three ithomiine clades. We find distinct brain morphologies between Oleriina and Hypothyris, which are mimetically homogenous and occupy a single microhabitat. Oleriina, which occurs in low-light microhabitats, invests less in visual brain regions than Hypothyris, with one notable exception, Hyposcada anchiala, the only Oleriina sampled to have converged on mimicry rings found in Hypothyris. We also find that Napeogenes, which has diversified into a range of mimicry rings, shows intermediate patterns of sensory investment. We identify flight height as a critical factor shaping neuroanatomical diversity, with species that fly higher in the canopy investing more in visual structures. Our work suggests that the sensory ecology of species may be impacted by, and interact with, the ways in which communities of closely related organisms are adaptively assembled.
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