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Mutants highlight the modular control of butterfly eyespot patterns
Antónia Monteiro1, Joop Prijs, Minka Bax
1Section of Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Evolutionary and Ecological Sciences (EEW), Leiden University, P.O. Box 9516, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands. monteiro@buffalo.edu
Evolution & Development
|March 8, 2003
Summary
Butterfly wing eyespots, though homologous, vary greatly. Mutations reveal modular development, showing separate identities for these pattern elements, driven by gene expression changes in organizing cells.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Developmental biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Eyespots on butterfly wings are considered serially homologous pattern elements.
- Significant variation exists in eyespot number, shape, color, and size within and across species.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the extent to which serially homologous eyespots possess separate developmental identities.
- To understand how selection acts on these identities to generate diversity in butterfly wing patterns.
Main Methods:
- Utilized x-ray-induced mutations in the nymphalid butterfly Bicyclus anynana to study eyespot development.
- Analyzed gene expression patterns in mutated wing sections.
- Examined the differentiation of organizing cells at the eyespot center.
Main Results:
- Mutations affecting eyespots highlighted modular control of these pattern elements.
- A codominant mutation eliminated two adjacent ventral hindwing eyespots.
- Alterations in gene expression and differentiation of organizing cells were observed in mutant eyespots.
Conclusions:
- Butterfly wing eyespots exhibit modular developmental identities.
- Developmental models based on Drosophila wing compartmentalization offer a framework for understanding the molecular evolution of butterfly wing pattern modularity.