Article
Ecology
J. Benito Wainwright, Stephen H. Montgomery
Summary: This study explores the impact of microhabitat partitioning in heterogeneous environments on the sensory neural adaptation of species. The results show that mimetic and ecological corresponding species in ithomiine butterflies have different patterns of sensory investment, with flight height being a critical factor shaping neuroanatomical diversity.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Kyle R. Grant, T. Jonathan Davies, Sachin Medigeshi Harish, Javid Ahmad Dar, Subashree Kothandaraman, Tapas Ray, Dinesh Malasiya, Selvadurai Dayanandan, Mohammed Latif Khan
Summary: This study used an eco-phylogenetic approach to investigate the diversity and assembly patterns of tropical dry forests in Central India. The aim was to inform conservation and restoration practices by identifying potential habitats of conservation significance and vulnerable elements of regional biodiversity.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Daichi Iijima, Atsushi Kobayashi, Gen Morimoto, Masashi Murakami
Summary: Understanding the process underlying spatial gradients in biodiversity, particularly altitudinal gradients, is important in ecology. This study examined the phylogenetic and functional structures of breeding bird assemblages in the montane to alpine zones of Mount Norikura, Japan, and investigated the effects of natural environmental factors and human-induced landscape transformation. The findings suggest that severe natural environments play a fundamental role in community assembly in high mountain regions, while lower elevations may have weaker filtering effects.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Andrea Paz, Leyla Hernandez, Lilian S. O. Melo, Mariana Lyra, Celio F. B. Haddad, Ana C. Carnaval
Summary: This study investigates the role of environmental filtering and biotic interactions in shaping the communities of tree frogs in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. The researchers find that functional richness is high along the forest, potentially driven by niche partitioning, while environmental filtering becomes more important in extreme environments. Trait overdispersion is found in areas of vegetation contact or adjacent biomes. Considering multiple dimensions of biodiversity and environmental variation provides a more comprehensive understanding of amphibian community assembly.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jeremy Gauthier, Joana Meier, Fabrice Legeai, Melanie McClure, Annabel Whibley, Anthony Bretaudeau, Helene Boulain, Hugues Parrinello, Sam T. T. Mugford, Richard Durbin, Chenxi Zhou, Shane McCarthy, Christopher W. W. Wheat, Florence Piron-Prunier, Christelle Monsempes, Marie-Christine Francois, Paul Jay, Camille Nous, Emma Persyn, Emmanuelle Jacquin-Joly, Camille Meslin, Nicolas Montagne, Claire Lemaitre, Marianne Elias
Summary: This study generated high-quality genome assemblies for two Melinaea species and a draft genome for Ithomia salapia. Comparative genomic analysis revealed independent gene expansions in ithomiines and gustatory receptor genes. These findings contribute to understanding the mechanisms of adaptation in butterflies.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rosa Jimenez-Paz, Samantha J. Worthy, Renato Valencia, Alvaro J. Perez, Alex Reynolds, John A. Barone, Kevin S. Burgess
Summary: The Andean forests in northern Ecuador are renowned for their high plant diversity relative to their area, making them an excellent natural laboratory for studying the effects of elevation on forest communities. This study in a cloud forest in the Siempre Verde Reserve revealed distinct changes in community composition, structure, and diversity along elevational gradients. The research identified four main trends associated with elevation, demonstrating the complexity of montane forest ecosystems and highlighting the importance of their conservation.
JOURNAL OF MOUNTAIN SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Mael Dore, Keith Willmott, Boris Leroy, Nicolas Chazot, James Mallet, Andre V. L. Freitas, Jason P. W. Hall, Gerardo Lamas, Kanchon K. Dasmahapatra, Colin Fontaine, Marianne Elias
Summary: Analyzing the diversity of Clearwing butterflies (tribe Ithomiini) in the Neotropics revealed that the eastern slopes of the Andes are primary hotspots for taxonomic, phylogenetic, and mimetic diversity, with secondary hotspots in Central America and the Atlantic Forest. The study results indicate that tropical montane forests with high species and mimetic diversity as well as rare species and mimicry rings are under threat.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Ya-Dong Zhou, Ke-Yan Xiao, Si-Chong Chen, Xing Liu, Qing-Feng Wang, Xue Yan
Summary: This study investigated the altitudinal patterns in diversity and structure of aquatic plant assemblages along a large-scale gradient on the southern part of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China. Results showed a decrease in taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity with increasing altitude, and a peak in net relatedness index around 3,800 m above sea level. Environmental variables, particularly annual mean temperature, played a significant role in driving aquatic plant diversity. Different patterns were observed in phylogenetic and functional structures of aquatic plant assemblages along the altitudinal gradient, with functional traits being more affected by environmental variables compared to phylogenetic relationships.
FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Jiamin Wan, Yang Chen, Yanpeng Li, Caicai Zhang, Zhipang Huang, Wen Xiao
Summary: The study investigates the distribution patterns of biodiversity along altitudinal gradients and identifies the dominant ecological processes in three forest strata (tree, shrub, and herb layers). It finds that the alpha diversity of the herb layer decreases with increasing altitude, while the shrub layer shows a single peak and the tree layer remains unchanged. The phylogenetic structure of the three layers exhibits clustering at low altitudes and overdispersion at middle and high altitudes.
ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Ugyen Penjor, Rinzin Jamtsho, Sherub Sherub
Summary: The conversion of natural forest into agricultural land and human settlement has led to homogenisation of avian diversity and structure worldwide. While the effects of land-use change on avian functional diversity and phylogenetic diversity are well studied in the tropics, research on this topic in the Himalayas, especially in eastern Himalayan bird communities, is lacking. Our study found that bird community occupancy decreases with human land use, bird assemblages at higher elevations are clustered both functionally and phylogenetically, and agriculture and settlement have higher functional and phylogenetic diversity compared to forests.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Miguel de Celis, Javier Duque, Domingo Marquina, Humbert Salvado, Susana Serrano, Lucia Arregui, Antonio Santos, Ignacio Belda
Summary: Network models and community phylogenetic analyses were used to examine the temporal dynamics of network properties in microbial communities in activated sludge systems. The results showed that during the initial assembly stages, the microbial communities adapted to the activated sludge environment, leading to an increase in network modularity and co-exclusion proportion, and a decrease in network clustering. This suggests niche specialization as a result of the selective pressure of deterministic factors in wastewater treatment plants.
NPJ BIOFILMS AND MICROBIOMES
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ran Zhang, Zhaochen Zhang, Kankan Shang, Mingshui Zhao, Jiaxin Kong, Xin Wang, Yuzhuo Wang, Houjuan Song, Oukai Zhang, Xuan Lv, Jian Zhang
Summary: Taxonomic alpha diversity generally increased along elevation, while distance-decay trends of taxonomic and phylogenetic similarity were observed with increased elevational distances. Topographical and microclimatic variables were found to be main drivers of diversity patterns and phylogenetic structure, with deterministic processes mediated by local species abundance imprinting on plant community composition along the elevational gradient.
JOURNAL OF PLANT ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Xiao-Yi Wang, Mao-Jun Zhong, Jian Zhang, Xing-Feng Si, Sheng-Nan Yang, Jian-Ping Jiang, Jun-Hua Hu
Summary: This study explored the phylogenetic and functional diversity of amphibians along an elevational gradient on Mount Emei in southwestern China. It found that the diversity showed specific patterns with elevation, and that both spatial and environmental factors played a role in shaping amphibian distribution and community structure. The study also suggested a potential shift in key processes from environmental filtering to competitive exclusion with increasing elevation.
ZOOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lu Jin, Jia-Jia Liu, Tian-Wen Xiao, Qiao-Ming Li, Li-Xiang Lin, Xiao-Na Shao, Chen-Xin Ma, Bu-Hang Li, Xiang-Cheng Mi, Hai-Bao Ren, Xiu-Juan Qiao, Ju-Yu Lian, Gang Hao, Xue-Jun Ge
Summary: Plastome-trees exhibit higher resolution and support for species relationships compared to barcode-trees and synthetic-trees. For local phylogenetic structure, all three trees showed consistent results with Faith's PD and MPD, but only the synthetic-tree showed significant clustering patterns using MNTD in some plots. In terms of functional traits, both barcode-tree and plastome-tree detected phylogenetic signal in maximum height, while only the plastome-tree detected signal in leaf width.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Sebastian Gonzalez-Caro, J. Sebastian Tello, Jonathan A. Myers, Kenneth Feeley, Cecilia Blundo, Marco Calderon-Loor, Julieta Carilla, Leslie Cayola, Francisco Cuesta, William Farfan, Alfredo F. Fuentes, Karina Garcia-Cabrera, Ricardo Grau, Alvaro Idarraga, M. Isabel Loza, Yadvinder Malhi, Agustina Malizia, Lucio Malizia, Oriana Osinaga-Acosta, Esteban Pinto, Norma Salinas, Miles Silman, Andrea Teran-Valdez, Alvaro Duque
Summary: Patterns of species diversity are influenced by changes in climate across latitude and elevation. The TNC hypothesis suggests that most lineages originate in the tropics, while the MZO hypothesis suggests that lineages also originate in temperate environments and readily colonize similar environments in the tropics. This study provides support for the MZO hypothesis, showing that phylogenetic diversity of tree communities increases with both latitude and elevation.
Article
Ecology
Kelsey J. R. P. Byers, Kathy Darragh, Sylvia Fernanda Garza, Diana Abondano Almeida, Ian A. Warren, Pasi M. A. Rastas, Richard M. Merrill, Stefan Schulz, W. Owen McMillan, Chris D. Jiggins
Summary: This study identified significant QTL for potential pheromone compounds production in Heliconius butterflies, clustered on chromosomes known for pheromone biosynthesis genes. The tight clustering of putative pheromone loci may contribute to coincident reproductive isolating barriers, facilitating speciation despite ongoing gene flow.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kathy Darragh, Anna Orteu, Daniella Black, Kelsey J. R. P. Byers, Daiane Szczerbowski, Ian A. Warren, Pasi Rastas, Ana Pinharanda, John W. Davey, Sylvia Fernanda Garza, Diana Abondano Almeida, Richard M. Merrill, W. Owen McMillan, Stefan Schulz, Chris D. Jiggins
Summary: This study investigated the recent divergence of two species, H. melpomene and Heliconius cydno, in terms of the presence of (E)-beta-ocimene. Through linkage mapping, gene expression, and functional analyses, two novel TPS enzymes were identified, demonstrating independent evolutionary origins of chemical convergence. The research showed that the loss of (E)-beta-ocimene in H. cydno was due to coding, not regulatory, differences.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Tomas N. Generalovic, Shane A. McCarthy, Ian A. Warren, Jonathan M. D. Wood, James Torrance, Ying Sims, Michael Quail, Kerstin Howe, Miha Pipan, Richard Durbin, Chris D. Jiggins
Summary: The Black Soldier Fly is an important species for bioconversion of organic material into animal feed. A high-quality chromosome-scale genome assembly was generated using various sequencing technologies, revealing the chromosome structure and gene count of the Black Soldier Fly. Analysis on a lab population also provided insights into the genetic variation and inbreeding coefficient of the species.
G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Stephanie Ehlers, Daiane Szczerbowski, Tim Harig, Matthew Stell, Susan Hoetling, Kathy Darragh, Chris D. Jiggins, Stefan Schulz
Summary: The butterfly Heliconius erato exhibits various mimetic morphs, with males releasing a complex mixture of compounds from their clasper scent glands. Analysis of gland contents revealed differences between mimicry groups, suggesting species-specific biosynthetic pathways for semiochemical formation. This study provides valuable insights into the production of pheromones in butterflies.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gabriela Montejo-Kovacevich, Patricio A. Salazar, Sophie H. Smith, Kimberly Gavilanes, Caroline N. Bacquet, Yingguang Frank Chan, Chris D. Jiggins, Joana Meier, Nicola J. Nadeau
Summary: Understanding the genomic basis of wing shape in two Neotropical butterflies revealed that wing aspect ratio is highly heritable and differences in elevation-associated wing aspect ratio are maintained. Genome-wide associations uncovered a highly polygenic basis to wing aspect ratio variation in the wild, with promising candidate genes identified for future studies. Little evidence for molecular parallelism was found between the two species, suggesting polygenic adaptation may underlie ecologically relevant traits.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Henry L. North, Angela McGaughran, Chris D. Jiggins
Summary: The use of genomic data in invasion biology can provide valuable insights into processes such as invasion routes reconstruction and the importance of balancing selection and hybridization. While currently only a few invasive systems have utilized whole-genome resequencing, these studies have confirmed the significance of leveraging new technologies and approaches for a more comprehensive understanding of invasive species.
Article
Biology
Luca Livraghi, Joseph J. Hanly, Steven M. Van Bellghem, Gabriela Montejo-Kovacevich, Eva S. M. van Der Heijden, Ling Sheng Loh, Anna Ren, Ian A. Warren, James J. Lewis, Carolina Concha, Laura Hebberecht, Charlotte J. Wright, Jonah M. Walker, Jessica Foley, Zachary H. Goldberg, Henry Arenas-Castro, Camilo Salazar, Michael W. Perry, Riccardo Papa, Arnaud Martin, W. Owen McMillan, Chris D. Jiggins
Summary: In Heliconius butterflies, wing color pattern diversity and scale types are controlled by a few genes of large effect, which regulate color pattern switches between morphs and species. The gene cortex is identified as a major determinant of scale cell identity through CRISPR knockouts in multiple Heliconius species. Chromatin accessibility profiling and introgression scans reveal cis-regulatory regions associated with discrete phenotypic switches.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Joseph J. Hanly, Luca Livraghi, Christa Heryanto, W. Owen McMillan, Chris D. Jiggins, Lawrence E. Gilbert, Arnaud Martin
Summary: By studying the ivory mutant in Heliconius butterflies, we identified a genetic deletion associated with the unusual pattern variant. This mutation originated from a mixed population and provides heterozygous advantage under artificial selection.
G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Daiane Szczerbowski, Stephanie Ehlers, Kathy Darragh, Chris Jiggins, Stefan Schulz
Summary: A study on the neotropical butterfly species Heliconius erato found that males release a complex mixture of compounds during mating, making females unattractive to other males. Another set of compounds released from the wings of male butterflies may serve as aphrodisiacs. The structures of these compounds have been identified.
JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS
(2022)
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Charlotte J. Wright, Christopher W. J. Smith, Chris D. Jiggins
Summary: This article discusses how alternative splicing generates phenotypic diversity and contributes to adaptation and species divergence. Comparisons of splicing profiles between closely related species using new technologies have helped in understanding the evolution of alternative splicing.
NATURE REVIEWS GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Biology
Bruna Cama, Stephanie Ehlers, Daiane Szczerbowski, Jane Thomas-Oates, Chris D. Jiggins, Stefan Schulz, W. Owen McMillan, Kanchon K. Dasmahapatra
Summary: This study investigates the androconial secretions of male butterflies in the Heliconiini tribe and finds that these secretions are species-specific and may contribute to reproductive isolation. The study also shows that the diversification of these secretions is associated with the utilization of different metabolic pathways in different species. Furthermore, a positive correlation is observed between the dissimilarity of secretions and the overlap of distribution ranges in related species, suggesting the occurrence of character displacement or reinforcement. These results highlight the importance of MSP diversification in speciation.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Anniina L. K. Mattila, Chris D. Jiggins, Marjo Saastamoinen
Summary: Aposematic animals use bright warning coloration to indicate their toxicity or unpalatability. This study found associations between life-history traits and chemical defenses, suggesting that toxicity levels may be influenced by individual condition and age, as well as genetic background and early conditions. Additionally, individuals with higher toxicity developed faster, had higher mass as adults, and showed a tendency for increased lifespan and fecundity.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Tarryn Schuldiner-Harpaz, Richard M. Merrill, Chris D. Jiggins
Summary: Coupling of multiple barriers to gene-flow facilitates speciation. Physical linkage is a mechanism that can establish and maintain associations between divergent alleles. Our model reveals that stronger physical linkage is more likely to evolve under weaker mating preferences and selection.
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Cassidi E. E. Rush, Andre V. L. Freitas, Luiza Magaldi, Keith R. R. Willmott, Ryan I. I. Hill
Summary: Patterns of larval food plant use and immature stage morphology are important for understanding Neotropical butterfly species diversity. In this study, the existence of cryptic species in Adelpha butterflies was investigated, particularly focusing on Adelpha serpa celerio. Results showed weak genetic and morphological differences and no differentiation in food plant use within A. serpa celerio, while other species in the serpa-group demonstrated evidence of harbouring allopatric cryptic species. Therefore, further research is needed to clarify the species limits of these species.
Article
Biology
Erika C. P. de Castro, Jamie Musgrove, Soren Bak, W. Owen McMillan, Chris D. Jiggins
Summary: The Heliconius butterflies exhibit remarkable plasticity in their chemical defences, adjusting biosynthesis based on the cyanogenic compounds present in their host plants. This allows them to widen their range of potential hosts within the Passiflora genus while maintaining their chemical defences.