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Evolutionary Novelty in a Butterfly Wing Pattern through Enhancer Shuffling.

Richard W R Wallbank1,2, Simon W Baxter3, Carolina Pardo-Diaz1,2,4

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Genetic elements controlling butterfly wing patterns were shuffled between species, creating new color variations. This recombination of regulatory modules drives rapid evolution and diversity in Heliconius butterflies.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Genetics
  • Developmental biology

Background:

  • Understanding the genetic basis of novel traits is crucial in evolutionary biology.
  • The Amazonian Heliconius butterflies exhibit complex wing patterns, offering a model for studying trait evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the genetic origins of distinct red color pattern elements (dennis and ray) in Heliconius butterflies.
  • To explore the role of cis-regulatory elements in controlling the transcription factor optix and its impact on wing pattern variation.

Main Methods:

  • Genome sequencing of 142 individuals across 17 Heliconius species.
  • Phylogenetic analysis of identified cis-regulatory elements.
  • Analysis of the timing of diversification in specific genetic regions.

Main Results:

  • Identified narrow genomic regions associated with the dennis and ray color pattern elements.
  • Demonstrated distinct evolutionary histories for these two elements.
  • Showed that recombination and introgression of cis-regulatory modules between species create novel adaptive variation.

Conclusions:

  • Shuffling of cis-regulatory modules, both within and between species, drives rapid diversification.
  • This mechanism generates novel morphological combinations during adaptive radiation in Heliconius butterflies.
  • Introgression plays a significant role in the evolution of these wing patterns.