Eco-evo-devo advances with butterfly eyespots

Beldade, Patrícia; Monteiro, Antónia

doi:10.1016/j.gde.2020.12.011

Cited by 15 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…Wing transparency evolved several times independently during the diversification of Lepidoptera from ancestors with opaque wings [4]. Lepidopteran wings are typically covered with chitinous scales that bear colour produced by pigments [10,11], photonic nanostructures [12] or a combination of both [13][14][15]. Beyond their role in coloration, wing scales also play a role in thermoregulation [16,17] and water repellence [18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-scale dissection of wing transparency in the clearwing butterfly Phanus vitreus

Finet,

Ruan,

Bei

et al. 2023

J. R. Soc. Interface.

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Optical transparency is rare in terrestrial organisms, and often originates through loss of pigmentation and reduction in scattering. The coloured wings of some butterflies and moths have repeatedly evolved transparency, offering examples of how they function optically and biologically. Because pigments are primarily localized in the scales that cover a colourless wing membrane, transparency has often evolved through the complete loss of scales or radical modification of their shape. Whereas bristle-like scales have been well documented in glasswing butterflies, other scale modifications resulting in transparency remain understudied. The butterfly Phanus vitreus achieves transparency while retaining its scales and exhibiting blue/cyan transparent zones. Here, we investigate the mechanism of wing transparency in P. vitreus by light microscopy, focused ion beam milling, microspectrophotometry and optical modelling. We show that transparency is achieved via loss of pigments and vertical orientation in normal paddle-like scales. These alterations are combined with an anti-reflective nipple array on portions of the wing membrane being more exposed to light. The blueish coloration of the P. vitreus transparent regions is due to the properties of the wing membrane, and local scale nanostructures. We show that scale retention in the transparent patches might be explained by these perpendicular scales having hydrophobic properties.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-scale dissection of wing transparency in the clearwing butterfly Phanus vitreus

Finet,

Ruan,

Bei

et al. 2023

J. R. Soc. Interface.

Self Cite

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“…Perhaps more often, as I will explore in Section 3, different phenotypes result from molecular changes that affect the regulation of how conserved protein functions get expressed in time and space within a developing organism (Stern & Orgogozo, 2008; Wray, 2007). Differential expression of homeotic transcription factor genes provide the now‐classic examples of fundamental regulators of morphogenesis that mediate a diversity of organismal features (Beldade & Monteiro, 2021; Carroll, 2008; Heffer & Pick, 2013). Multiple molecular changes affecting regulation also often coevolve, leading to compensatory effects of mutations and substitutions in cis ‐ and trans ‐acting regulatory elements such that phenotypic and gene expression stasis masks a vast underbelly of genomic change (Gordon & Ruvinsky, 2012; Mack & Nachman, 2017; Signor & Nuzhdin, 2018).…”

Section: Speciation As a Developmental Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, comparisons among species revealed the crucial shared roles of homeobox ( Hox ) genes in body plan specification across a wide swath of animals (Heffer & Pick, 2013; Raff, 2000). Similarly, comparative interrogation of developmental programs illustrated the importance of Hox genes across butterfly species in specifying morphological features of the wing in terms of eyespot development (Beldade & Monteiro, 2021; Matsuoka & Monteiro, 2021) as well as in influencing development of the exaggerated appendages used in water strider mating (Khila et al, 2012).…”

Section: Speciation As a Developmental Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Speciation and development

Cutter

2023

Evolution and Development

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Understanding general principles about the origin of species remains one of the foundational challenges in evolutionary biology. The genomic divergence between groups of individuals can spawn hybrid inviability and hybrid sterility, which presents a tantalizing developmental problem. Divergent developmental programs may yield either conserved or divergent phenotypes relative to ancestral traits, both of which can be responsible for reproductive isolation during the speciation process. The genetic mechanisms of developmental evolution involve cis‐ and trans‐acting gene regulatory change, protein–protein interactions, genetic network structures, dosage, and epigenetic regulation, all of which also have roots in population genetic and molecular evolutionary processes. Toward the goal of demystifying Darwin's “mystery of mysteries,” this review integrates microevolutionary concepts of genetic change with principles of organismal development, establishing explicit links between population genetic process and developmental mechanisms in the production of macroevolutionary pattern. This integration aims to establish a more unified view of speciation that binds process and mechanism.

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“…Sliding window analysis to determine 'developmental temperature'. In other species, it has been shown that wing phenotypes are determined during the late instar larvae and early pupation (Beldade and Monteiro, 2021). The specimens used in this study were all caught in the field so the exact timing of their pupation is of course unknown.…”

Section: Intra-seasonal Spot Number Variationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Back to the Meadow Brown: eyespot variation and field temperature in a classic butterfly polymorphism

ffrench-Constant

Rhodes

Smith

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Since the classic work of E.B. Ford, alternate hypotheses have focused on explaining eyespot variation in the Meadow Brown butterfly strictly as a genetic polymorphism and the role of temperature in this classic example of natural selection has therefore been overlooked. Here we use large and continuous field collections from three sites in the UK to examine the effect of field temperature on total eyespot variation using the same presence-absence scoring past Ford. We show that higher developmental temperatures in the field lead to the disappearance of the spots visible while the butterfly is at rest, explaining Ford's original observation that hindwing spotting decreases across the season (as temperatures increase). Analysis of wing damage supports the historical hypothesis that hindwing spots confuse aerial predators. However, as hindwing spotting declines over the season, a 'trade-off' is suggested between their role in deflecting predators early in the season and their later developmental cost. In contrast, the large forewing eyespot is always present, scales with forewing length and its variation is best explained by day of the year rather than developmental temperature. As this large forewing spot is thought to be involved in startling predators, its constant presence is therefore likely required for defence. We model annual total spot variation with phenological data from the UK and derive predictions as to how spot patterns will continue to change under increasing summer temperatures, predicting that spotting will continue to decrease both across a single season and year on year as out climate warms.

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Eco-evo-devo advances with butterfly eyespots

Cited by 15 publications

References 61 publications

Multi-scale dissection of wing transparency in the clearwing butterfly Phanus vitreus

Multi-scale dissection of wing transparency in the clearwing butterfly Phanus vitreus

Speciation and development

Back to the Meadow Brown: eyespot variation and field temperature in a classic butterfly polymorphism

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