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Isotope geolocation and population genomics in Vanessa cardui: Short- and long-distance migrants are genetically undifferentiated

  • 0Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada K1N 7N9.
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February 5, 2025

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February 5, 2025

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Painted lady butterflies (Vanessa cardui) exhibit distinct migratory behaviors, with some traveling short distances and others migrating over 4,000 km across the Sahara. Genetic analysis reveals they are a single population, suggesting migration distance is a plastic response to environmental conditions.

Area Of Science

  • Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
  • Genomics
  • Biogeography

Background

  • The painted lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui) has a cosmopolitan distribution and undertakes long-distance migrations.
  • Distinct migratory behaviors, including overwintering north and south of the Sahara, suggest varied migratory strategies.
  • Factors influencing these migratory differences remain largely unknown.

Purpose Of The Study

  • To investigate the evolutionary and ecological factors shaping migratory behavior in Vanessa cardui.
  • To determine if distinct migratory distances correlate with genetic population structure.
  • To explore the role of the Sahara Desert as a biogeographic barrier.

Main Methods

  • Whole-genome resequencing of 40 Vanessa cardui individuals.
  • Analysis of hydrogen and strontium isotopes in collected individuals.
  • Simultaneous collection of butterflies from regions north and south of the Sahara during autumn migration.

Main Results

  • Two migratory groups identified: short-distance (circum-Mediterranean) and long-distance (West Africa, >4,000 km).
  • Genome-wide analysis revealed a single, intercontinental panmictic population across Europe and Africa, with no significant genetic differentiation between migratory groups.
  • The Sahara Desert did not act as a barrier to population structuring; migration distance appears to be a plastic response to environmental conditions.

Conclusions

  • Migration distance in Vanessa cardui is not driven by significant genetic divergence between populations.
  • The species maintains a single, interconnected population despite varying migration strategies.
  • Environmental plasticity, rather than genetic isolation, likely explains the different migratory behaviors observed.

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