Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 10, 2026
06:19
In situ Protocol for Butterfly Pupal Wings Using Riboprobes
Published on: May 28, 2007
11.5K
Wing morphogenesis in Lepidoptera
H Frederik Nijhout1, Kenneth Z McKenna1
1Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology
|May 23, 2018
Summary
Butterfly wing development from imaginal disks involves patterned cell division and programmed cell death. These processes sculpt the wing
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Entomology
- Genetics
Background:
- Lepidoptera wings develop from imaginal disks, maintaining structural congruence with adult wings.
- Species-specific wing size and shape variations arise during development.
- Understanding wing morphogenesis is key to evolutionary developmental biology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the developmental mechanisms shaping Lepidoptera wings.
- To map cell fates and growth patterns within developing wing imaginal disks.
- To identify factors contributing to species-specific wing morphology.
Main Methods:
- Fate-mapping homologous locations on developing wing imaginal disks.
- Monitoring wing growth, size, and shape throughout ontogeny.
- Analyzing cellular processes including cell division, cytoskeletal organization, and programmed cell death.
Main Results:
- Wing development relies on spatially patterned and oriented cell divisions.
- An actin network between wing veins constrains directional growth.
- Programmed cell death sculpts the final wing outline by removing distal cells.
Conclusions:
- Spatially patterned cell divisions, cytoskeletal constraints, and programmed cell death are crucial for wing morphogenesis.
- Programmed cell death is essential for defining the detailed outline of the Lepidoptera wing.
- These mechanisms explain species-specific differences in wing size and shape.
Related Concept Videos
02:19Morphogenesis
30.5K
Plant morphogenesis—the development of a plant’s form and structure—involves several overlapping developmental processes, including growth and cell differentiation. Precursor cells differentiate into specific cell types, which are organized into the tissues and organ systems that make up the functional plant.
30.5K
01:54Convergent Evolution
33.1K
Evolution shapes the features of organisms over time, ensuring that they are suited for the environments in which they live. Sometimes, selection pressure leads to the rise of similar but unrelated adaptations in organisms with no recent common ancestors, a process known as convergent evolution.
33.1K
01:56Plant Hormones
27.7K
Plant hormones—or phytohormones—are chemical molecules that modulate one or more physiological processes of a plant. In animals, hormones are often produced in specific glands and circulated via the circulatory system. However, plants lack hormone-producing glands.
27.7K
02:39Predator-Prey Interactions
21.7K
Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.
21.7K
01:32What is Natural Selection?
129.7K
Natural selection is an evolutionary process in which individuals with survival-promoting traits reproduce at higher rates. These favorable traits become more common within a population or species. Naturally selected traits initially arise via random genetic mutations. In order for selection to occur, there must be variation within a population, the trait controlling the variation must be heritable, and there must be an evolutionary advantage for variation in the trait.
129.7K