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White J, Yamashita F. Boquila trifoliolata mimics leaves of an artificial plastic host plant. Plant Signal Behav 2022; 17:1977530. [PMID: 34545774 PMCID: PMC8903786 DOI: 10.1080/15592324.2021.1977530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Revised: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Upon discovery that the Boquila trifoliolata is capable of flexible leaf mimicry, the question of the mechanism behind this ability has been unanswered. Here, we demonstrate that plant vision possibly via plant-specific ocelli is a plausible hypothesis. A simple experiment by placing an artificial vine model above the living plants has shown that these will attempt to mimic the artificial leaves. The experiment has been carried out with multiple plants, and each plant has shown attempts at mimicry. It was observed that mimic leaves showed altered leaf areas, perimeters, lengths, and widths compared to non-mimic leaves. We have calculated four morphometrical features and observed that mimic leaves showed higher aspect ratio and lower rectangularity and form factor compared to non-mimic leaves. In addition, we have observed differences in the leaf venation patterns, with the mimic leaves having less dense vascular networks, thinner vascular strands, and lower numbers of free-ending veinlets.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Felipe Yamashita
- Institute of Cellular and Molecular Botany, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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Wang S, Teng D, Li X, Yang P, Da W, Zhang Y, Zhang Y, Liu G, Zhang X, Wan W, Dong Z, Wang D, Huang S, Jiang Z, Wang Q, Lohman DJ, Wu Y, Zhang L, Jia F, Westerman E, Zhang L, Wang W, Zhang W. The evolution and diversification of oakleaf butterflies. Cell 2022; 185:3138-3152.e20. [PMID: 35926506 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.06.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
Oakleaf butterflies in the genus Kallima have a polymorphic wing phenotype, enabling these insects to masquerade as dead leaves. This iconic example of protective resemblance provides an interesting evolutionary paradigm that can be employed to study biodiversity. We integrated multi-omic data analyses and functional validation to infer the evolutionary history of Kallima species and investigate the genetic basis of their variable leaf wing patterns. We find that Kallima butterflies diversified in the eastern Himalayas and dispersed to East and Southeast Asia. Moreover, we find that leaf wing polymorphism is controlled by the wing patterning gene cortex, which has been maintained in Kallima by long-term balancing selection. Our results provide macroevolutionary and microevolutionary insights into a model species originating from a mountain ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuting Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Dequn Teng
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Xueyan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
| | - Peiwen Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Wa Da
- Tibet Plateau Institute of Biology, Lhasa, Tibet 850001, China
| | - Yiming Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yubo Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Guichun Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
| | | | - Wenting Wan
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
| | - Zhiwei Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
| | - Donghui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; National Teaching Center for Experimental Biology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Shun Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Zhisheng Jiang
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Qingyi Wang
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - David J Lohman
- Biology Department, City College of New York, City University of New York, New York, NY 10031, USA; Ph.D. Program in Biology, Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY 10016, USA; Entomology Section, National Museum of Natural History, Manila 1000, Philippines
| | - Yongjie Wu
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resources and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Linlin Zhang
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Fenghai Jia
- Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330004, China
| | - Erica Westerman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
| | - Li Zhang
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Wen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China; School of Ecology and Environment, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, China; Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Kunming 650223, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Institute of Ecology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Institute for Tibetan Plateau Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
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Abstract
Long noted by naturalists, leaf mimicry provides some of the most impressive examples of camouflage through masquerade. Many species of leaf-mimicking Lepidoptera also sport wing markings that closely resemble irregularly shaped holes caused by decay or insect damage. Despite proposals that such markings can either enhance resemblance to damaged leaves or act to disrupt surface appearance through false depth cues, to our knowledge, no attempt has been made to establish exactly how these markings function, or even whether they confer a survival benefit to prey. Here, in two field experiments using artificial butterfly-like targets, we show that false hole markings provide significant survival benefits against avian predation. Furthermore, in a computer-based visual search experiment, we demonstrate that detection of such targets by humans is impeded in a similar fashion. Equally contrasting light marks do not have the same effect; indeed, they lead to increased detection. We conclude that the mechanism is the disruption of the otherwise homogeneous wing surface (surface disruptive camouflage) and that, by resembling the holes sometimes found in real leaves, the disruptive benefits are not offset by conspicuousness costs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah M. Costello
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | | | - Karin Kjernsmo
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Innes C. Cuthill
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
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