1
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Wright DS, Rodriguez-Fuentes J, Ammer L, Darragh K, Kuo CY, McMillan WO, Jiggins CD, Montgomery SH, Merrill RM. Selection drives divergence of eye morphology in sympatric Heliconius butterflies. Evolution 2024; 78:1338-1346. [PMID: 38736286 PMCID: PMC7616201 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpae073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024]
Abstract
When populations experience different sensory conditions, natural selection may favor sensory system divergence, affecting peripheral structures and/or downstream neural pathways. We characterized the outer eye morphology of sympatric Heliconius butterflies from different forest types and their first-generation reciprocal hybrids to test for adaptive visual system divergence and hybrid disruption. In Panama, Heliconius cydno occurs in closed forests, whereas Heliconius melpomene resides at the forest edge. Among wild individuals, H. cydno has larger eyes than H. melpomene, and there are heritable, habitat-associated differences in the visual brain structures that exceed neutral divergence expectations. Notably, hybrids have intermediate neural phenotypes, suggesting disruption. To test for similar effects in the visual periphery, we reared both species and their hybrids in common garden conditions. We confirm that H. cydno has larger eyes and provide new evidence that this is driven by selection. Hybrid eye morphology is more H. melpomene-like despite body size being intermediate, contrasting with neural trait intermediacy. Overall, our results suggest that eye morphology differences between H. cydno and H. melpomene are adaptive and that hybrids may suffer fitness costs due to a mismatch between the peripheral visual structures and previously described neural traits that could affect visual performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Shane Wright
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Juliana Rodriguez-Fuentes
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Lisa Ammer
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Kathy Darragh
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Gamboa, Panama
| | - Chi-Yun Kuo
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Chris D Jiggins
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Gamboa, Panama
| | - Stephen H Montgomery
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Gamboa, Panama
- School of Biological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Richard M Merrill
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Gamboa, Panama
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2
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Rossi M, Hausmann AE, Alcami P, Moest M, Roussou R, Van Belleghem SM, Wright DS, Kuo CY, Lozano-Urrego D, Maulana A, Melo-Flórez L, Rueda-Muñoz G, McMahon S, Linares M, Osman C, McMillan WO, Pardo-Diaz C, Salazar C, Merrill RM. Adaptive introgression of a visual preference gene. Science 2024; 383:1368-1373. [PMID: 38513020 PMCID: PMC7616200 DOI: 10.1126/science.adj9201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Visual preferences are important drivers of mate choice and sexual selection, but little is known of how they evolve at the genetic level. In this study, we took advantage of the diversity of bright warning patterns displayed by Heliconius butterflies, which are also used during mate choice. Combining behavioral, population genomic, and expression analyses, we show that two Heliconius species have evolved the same preferences for red patterns by exchanging genetic material through hybridization. Neural expression of regucalcin1 correlates with visual preference across populations, and disruption of regucalcin1 with CRISPR-Cas9 impairs courtship toward conspecific females, providing a direct link between gene and behavior. Our results support a role for hybridization during behavioral evolution and show how visually guided behaviors contributing to adaptation and speciation are encoded within the genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Rossi
- Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University; Munich, Germany
| | | | - Pepe Alcami
- Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University; Munich, Germany
| | - Markus Moest
- Department of Ecology and Research Department for Limnology, Mondsee; University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Rodaria Roussou
- Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University; Munich, Germany
| | | | | | - Chi-Yun Kuo
- Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University; Munich, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Gamboa, Panama
| | - Daniela Lozano-Urrego
- Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University; Munich, Germany
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Universidad del Rosario; Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Arif Maulana
- Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University; Munich, Germany
| | - Lina Melo-Flórez
- Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University; Munich, Germany
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Universidad del Rosario; Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Geraldine Rueda-Muñoz
- Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University; Munich, Germany
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Universidad del Rosario; Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Saoirse McMahon
- Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University; Munich, Germany
| | - Mauricio Linares
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Universidad del Rosario; Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Christof Osman
- Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University; Munich, Germany
| | | | | | - Camilo Salazar
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Universidad del Rosario; Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Richard M. Merrill
- Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University; Munich, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Gamboa, Panama
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3
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Wainwright JB, Schofield C, Conway M, Phillips D, Martin-Silverstone E, Brodrick EA, Cicconardi F, How MJ, Roberts NW, Montgomery SH. Multiple axes of visual system diversity in Ithomiini, an ecologically diverse tribe of mimetic butterflies. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb246423. [PMID: 37921078 PMCID: PMC10714147 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.246423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
The striking structural variation seen in arthropod visual systems can be explained by the overall quantity and spatio-temporal structure of light within habitats coupled with developmental and physiological constraints. However, little is currently known about how fine-scale variation in visual structures arises across shorter evolutionary and ecological scales. In this study, we characterise patterns of interspecific (between species), intraspecific (between sexes) and intraindividual (between eye regions) variation in the visual system of four ithomiine butterfly species. These species are part of a diverse 26-million-year-old Neotropical radiation where changes in mimetic colouration are associated with fine-scale shifts in ecology, such as microhabitat preference. Using a combination of selection analyses on visual opsin sequences, in vivo ophthalmoscopy, micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), immunohistochemistry, confocal microscopy and neural tracing, we quantify and describe physiological, anatomical and molecular traits involved in visual processing. Using these data, we provide evidence of substantial variation within the visual systems of Ithomiini, including: (i) relaxed selection on visual opsins, perhaps mediated by habitat preference, (ii) interspecific shifts in visual system physiology and anatomy, and (iii) extensive sexual dimorphism, including the complete absence of a butterfly-specific optic neuropil in the males of some species. We conclude that considerable visual system variation can exist within diverse insect radiations, hinting at the evolutionary lability of these systems to rapidly develop specialisations to distinct visual ecologies, with selection acting at the perceptual, processing and molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Benito Wainwright
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Corin Schofield
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Max Conway
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Daniel Phillips
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Elizabeth Martin-Silverstone
- Bristol Palaeobiology Group, School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Emelie A. Brodrick
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Francesco Cicconardi
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Martin J. How
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Nicholas W. Roberts
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Stephen H. Montgomery
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
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4
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Wright DS, Manel AN, Guachamin-Rosero M, Chamba-Vaca P, Bacquet CN, Merrill RM. Quantifying visual acuity in Heliconius butterflies. Biol Lett 2023; 19:20230476. [PMID: 38087940 PMCID: PMC10716659 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Heliconius butterflies are well-known for their colourful wing patterns, which advertise distastefulness to potential predators and are used during mate choice. However, the relative importance of different aspects of these signals will depend on the visual abilities of Heliconius and their predators. Previous studies have investigated colour sensitivity and neural anatomy, but visual acuity (the ability to perceive detail) has not been studied in these butterflies. Here, we provide the first estimate of visual acuity in Heliconius: from a behavioural optomotor assay, we found that mean visual acuity = 0.49 cycles-per-degree (cpd), with higher acuity in males than females. We also examined eye morphology and report more ommatidia in male eyes. Finally, we estimated how visual acuity affects Heliconius visual perception compared to a potential avian predator. Whereas the bird predator maintained high resolving power, Heliconius lost the ability to resolve detail at greater distances, though colours may remain salient. These results will inform future studies of Heliconius wing pattern evolution, as well as other aspects in these highly visual butterflies, which have emerged as an important system in studies of adaptation and speciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Shane Wright
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, LMU Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Anupama Nayak Manel
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, LMU Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Michelle Guachamin-Rosero
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, LMU Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- Universidad Regional Amazónica IKIAM, Tena, Ecuador
| | - Pamela Chamba-Vaca
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, LMU Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- Universidad Regional Amazónica IKIAM, Tena, Ecuador
| | | | - Richard M. Merrill
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, LMU Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
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5
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Carscadden KA, Batstone RT, Hauser FE. Origins and evolution of biological novelty. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1472-1491. [PMID: 37056155 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the origins and impacts of novel traits has been a perennial interest in many realms of ecology and evolutionary biology. Here, we build on previous evolutionary and philosophical treatments of this subject to encompass novelties across biological scales and eco-evolutionary perspectives. By defining novelties as new features at one biological scale that have emergent effects at other biological scales, we incorporate many forms of novelty that have previously been treated in isolation (such as novelty from genetic mutations, new developmental pathways, new morphological features, and new species). Our perspective is based on the fundamental idea that the emergence of a novelty, at any biological scale, depends on its environmental and genetic context. Through this lens, we outline a broad array of generative mechanisms underlying novelty and highlight how genomic tools are transforming our understanding of the origins of novelty. Lastly, we present several case studies to illustrate how novelties across biological scales and systems can be understood based on common mechanisms of change and their environmental and genetic contexts. Specifically, we highlight how gene duplication contributes to the evolution of new complex structures in visual systems; how genetic exchange in symbiosis alters functions of both host and symbiont, resulting in a novel organism; and how hybridisation between species can generate new species with new niches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly A Carscadden
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, 1900 Pleasant St, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
| | - Rebecca T Batstone
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1206 West Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Frances E Hauser
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada
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6
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Borrero J, Wright DS, Bacquet CN, Merrill RM. Oviposition behavior is not affected by ultraviolet light in a butterfly with sexually-dimorphic expression of a UV-sensitive opsin. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10243. [PMID: 37408633 PMCID: PMC10318619 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2023] [Revised: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Animal vision is important for mediating multiple complex behaviors. In Heliconius butterflies, vision guides fundamental behaviors such as oviposition, foraging, and mate choice. Color vision in Heliconius involves ultraviolet (UV), blue and long-wavelength-sensitive photoreceptors (opsins). Additionally, Heliconius possess a duplicated UV opsin, and its expression varies widely within the genus. In Heliconius erato, opsin expression is sexually dimorphic; only females express both UV-sensitive opsins, enabling UV wavelength discrimination. However, the selective pressures responsible for sex-specific differences in opsin expression and visual perception remain unresolved. Female Heliconius invest heavily in finding suitable hostplants for oviposition, a behavior heavily dependent on visual cues. Here, we tested the hypothesis that UV vision is important for oviposition in H. erato and Heliconius himera females by manipulating the availability of UV in behavioral experiments under natural conditions. Our results indicate that UV does not influence the number of oviposition attempts or eggs laid, and the hostplant, Passiflora punctata, does not reflect UV wavelengths. Models of H. erato female vision suggest only minimal stimulation of the UV opsins. Overall, these findings suggest that UV wavelengths do not directly affect the ability of Heliconius females to find suitable oviposition sites. Alternatively, UV discrimination could be used in the context of foraging or mate choice, but this remains to be tested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Borrero
- Division of Evolutionary BiologyLMU MunichMunichGermany
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7
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The diversity of invertebrate visual opsins spanning Protostomia, Deuterostomia, and Cnidaria. Dev Biol 2022; 492:187-199. [PMID: 36272560 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2022.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Across eumetazoans, the ability to perceive and respond to visual stimuli is largely mediated by opsins, a family of proteins belonging to the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) superclass. Lineage-specific gains and losses led to a striking diversity in the numbers, types, and spectral sensitivities conferred by visual opsin gene expression. Here, we review the diversity of visual opsins and differences in opsin gene expression from well-studied protostome, invertebrate deuterostome, and cnidarian groups. We discuss the functional significance of opsin expression differences and spectral tuning among lineages. In some cases, opsin evolution has been linked to the detection of relevant visual signals, including sexually selected color traits and host plant features. In other instances, variation in opsins has not been directly linked to functional or ecological differences. Overall, the array of opsin expression patterns and sensitivities across invertebrate lineages highlight the diversity of opsins in the eumetazoan ancestor and the labile nature of opsins over evolutionary time.
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8
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Ilić M, Chen PJ, Pirih P, Meglič A, Prevc J, Yago M, Belušič G, Arikawa K. Simple and complex, sexually dimorphic retinal mosaic of fritillary butterflies. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210276. [PMID: 36058236 PMCID: PMC9441240 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Butterflies have variable sets of spectral photoreceptors that underlie colour vision. The photoreceptor organization may be optimized for the detection of body coloration. Fritillaries (Argynnini) are nymphalid butterflies exhibiting varying degrees of sexual dimorphism in wing coloration. In two sister species, the females have orange (Argynnis paphia) and dark wings (Argynnis sagana), respectively, while the males of both species have orange wings with large patches of pheromone-producing androconia. In spite of the differences in female coloration, the eyes of both species exhibit an identical sexual dimorphism. The female eyeshine is uniform yellow, while the males have a complex retinal mosaic with yellow and red-reflecting ommatidia. We found the basic set of ultraviolet-, blue- and green-peaking photoreceptors in both sexes. Males additionally have three more photoreceptor classes, peaking in green, yellow and red, respectively. The latter is the basal R9, indirectly measured through hyperpolarizations in the green-peaking R1-2. In many nymphalid tribes, including the closely related Heliconiini, the retinal mosaic is complex in both sexes. We hypothesize that the simple mosaic of female Argynnini is a secondary reduction, possibly driven by the use of olfaction for intraspecific recognition, whereas vision remains the primary sense for the task in the males. This article is part of the theme issue 'Understanding colour vision: molecular, physiological, neuronal and behavioural studies in arthropods'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marko Ilić
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 111, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Laboratory of Neuroethology, Sokendai - The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, 240-0193 Hayama, Japan
| | - Pei-Ju Chen
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, 11529 Taipei, Taiwan
- Laboratory of Neuroethology, Sokendai - The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, 240-0193 Hayama, Japan
| | - Primož Pirih
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 111, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Andrej Meglič
- Eye Hospital, University Medical Centre, Grablovičeva 46, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Jošt Prevc
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 111, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Masaya Yago
- The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, Hongo, 113-0033 Tokyo, Japan
| | - Gregor Belušič
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 111, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Kentaro Arikawa
- Laboratory of Neuroethology, Sokendai - The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, 240-0193 Hayama, Japan
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9
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McCulloch KJ, Macias-Muñoz A, Briscoe AD. Insect opsins and evo-devo: what have we learned in 25 years? Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210288. [PMID: 36058243 PMCID: PMC9441233 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The visual pigments known as opsins are the primary molecular basis for colour vision in animals. Insects are among the most diverse of animal groups and their visual systems reflect a variety of life histories. The study of insect opsins in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has led to major advances in the fields of neuroscience, development and evolution. In the last 25 years, research in D. melanogaster has improved our understanding of opsin genotype-phenotype relationships while comparative work in other insects has expanded our understanding of the evolution of insect eyes via gene duplication, coexpression and homologue switching. Even so, until recently, technology and sampling have limited our understanding of the fundamental mechanisms that evolution uses to shape the diversity of insect eyes. With the advent of genome editing and in vitro expression assays, the study of insect opsins is poised to reveal new frontiers in evolutionary biology, visual neuroscience, and animal behaviour. This article is part of the theme issue 'Understanding colour vision: molecular, physiological, neuronal and behavioural studies in arthropods'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle J. McCulloch
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Aide Macias-Muñoz
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Adriana D. Briscoe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 321 Steinhaus Hall, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
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10
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Pirih P, Ilić M, Meglič A, Belušič G. Opponent processing in the retinal mosaic of nymphalid butterflies. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210275. [PMID: 36058238 PMCID: PMC9441239 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The eyes of nymphalid butterflies, investigated with incident illumination, show colourful facet reflection patterns—the eye shine—which is uniform or heterogeneous, dependent on the species. Facet colours suggest that the ommatidia contain different sets of photoreceptors and screening pigments, but how the colours and the cell characteristics are associated has not been clearly established. Here, we analyse the retinae of two nymphalids, Apatura ilia, which has a uniform eyeshine, and Charaxes jasius, a species with a heterogeneous eye shine, using single-cell recordings, spectroscopy and optical pupillometry. Apatura has UV-, blue- and green-sensitive photoreceptors, allocated into three ommatidial types. The UV- and blue-sensitive cells are long visual fibres (LVFs), receiving opponent input from the green-sensitive short visual fibres (SVFs). Charaxes has an expanded set of photoreceptors, allocated into three additional, red-reflecting ommatidial types. All red ommatidia contain green-sensitive LVFs, receiving opponent input from red receptors. In both species, the SVFs do not receive any opponent input. The simple retina of Apatura with three ommatidial types and two colour-opponent channels can support trichromatic vision. Charaxes has six ommatidial types and three colour-opponent channels. Its expanded receptor set can support tetrachromatic vision. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Understanding colour vision: molecular, physiological, neuronal and behavioural studies in arthropods’.
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Affiliation(s)
- Primož Pirih
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 111, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Marko Ilić
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 111, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Andrej Meglič
- Eye Hospital, University Medical Centre, Grablovičeva 46, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Gregor Belušič
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 111, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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11
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McCulloch KJ, Macias-Muñoz A, Mortazavi A, Briscoe AD. Multiple mechanisms of photoreceptor spectral tuning in Heliconius butterflies. Mol Biol Evol 2022; 39:6555095. [PMID: 35348742 PMCID: PMC9048915 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msac067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution of color vision is often studied through the lens of receptor gain relative to an ancestor with fewer spectral classes of photoreceptor. For instance, in Heliconius butterflies, a genus-specific UVRh opsin duplication led to the evolution of UV color discrimination in Heliconius erato females, a rare trait among butterflies. However, color vision evolution is not well understood in the context of loss. In Heliconius melpomene and Heliconius ismenius lineages, the UV2 receptor subtype has been lost, which limits female color vision in shorter wavelengths. Here, we compare the visual systems of butterflies that have either retained or lost the UV2 photoreceptor using intracellular recordings, ATAC-seq, and antibody staining. We identify several ways these butterflies modulate their color vision. In H. melpomene, chromatin reorganization has downregulated an otherwise intact UVRh2 gene, whereas in H. ismenius, pseudogenization has led to the truncation of UVRh2. In species that lack the UV2 receptor, the peak sensitivity of the remaining UV1 photoreceptor cell is shifted to longer wavelengths. Across Heliconius, we identify the widespread use of filtering pigments and co-expression of two opsins in the same photoreceptor cells. Multiple mechanisms of spectral tuning, including the molecular evolution of blue opsins, have led to the divergence of receptor sensitivities between species. The diversity of photoreceptor and ommatidial subtypes between species suggests that Heliconius visual systems are under varying selection pressures for color discrimination. Modulating the wavelengths of peak sensitivities of both the blue- and remaining UV-sensitive photoreceptor cells suggests that Heliconius species may have compensated for UV receptor loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle J McCulloch
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, 321 Steinhaus Hall, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.,Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Aide Macias-Muñoz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, 321 Steinhaus Hall, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.,Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara CA 93106, USA.,Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Ali Mortazavi
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Adriana D Briscoe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, 321 Steinhaus Hall, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
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12
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Dell’Aglio DD, McMillan WO, Montgomery SH. Shifting balances in the weighting of sensory modalities are predicted by divergence in brain morphology in incipient species of Heliconius butterflies. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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13
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Wang LY, Stuart-Fox D, Walker G, Roberts NW, Franklin AM. Insect visual sensitivity to long wavelengths enhances colour contrast of insects against vegetation. Sci Rep 2022; 12:982. [PMID: 35046431 PMCID: PMC8770459 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-04702-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The sensitivity of animal photoreceptors to different wavelengths of light strongly influence the perceived visual contrast of objects in the environment. Outside of the human visual wavelength range, ultraviolet sensitivity in many species provides important and behaviourally relevant visual contrast between objects. However, at the opposite end of the spectrum, the potential advantage of red sensitivity remains unclear. We investigated the potential benefit of long wavelength sensitivity by modelling the visual contrast of a wide range of jewel beetle colours against flowers and leaves of their host plants to hypothetical insect visual systems. We find that the presence of a long wavelength sensitive photoreceptor increases estimated colour contrast, particularly of beetles against leaves. Moreover, under our model parameters, a trichromatic visual system with ultraviolet (λmax = 355 nm), short (λmax = 445 nm) and long (λmax = 600 nm) wavelength photoreceptors performed as well as a tetrachromatic visual system, which had an additional medium wavelength photoreceptor (λmax = 530 nm). When we varied λmax for the long wavelength sensitive receptor in a tetrachromatic system, contrast values between beetles, flowers and leaves were all enhanced with increasing λmax from 580 nm to at least 640 nm. These results suggest a potential advantage of red sensitivity in visual discrimination of insect colours against vegetation and highlight the potential adaptive value of long wavelength sensitivity in insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu-Yi Wang
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia.
| | - Devi Stuart-Fox
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Geoff Walker
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Nicholas W Roberts
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Amanda M Franklin
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
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14
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Finkbeiner SD, Briscoe AD. True UV color vision in a female butterfly with two UV opsins. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:272299. [PMID: 34587624 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
In true color vision, animals discriminate between light wavelengths, regardless of intensity, using at least two photoreceptors with different spectral sensitivity peaks. Heliconius butterflies have duplicate UV opsin genes, which encode ultraviolet and violet photoreceptors, respectively. In Heliconius erato, only females express the ultraviolet photoreceptor, suggesting females (but not males) can discriminate between UV wavelengths. We tested the ability of H. erato, and two species lacking the violet receptor, Heliconius melpomene and Eueides isabella, to discriminate between 380 and 390 nm, and between 400 and 436 nm, after being trained to associate each stimulus with a sugar reward. We found that only H. erato females have color vision in the UV range. Across species, both sexes show color vision in the blue range. Models of H. erato color vision suggest that females have an advantage over males in discriminating the inner UV-yellow corollas of Psiguria flowers from their outer orange petals. Moreover, previous models ( McCulloch et al., 2017) suggested that H. erato males have an advantage over females in discriminating Heliconius 3-hydroxykynurenine (3-OHK) yellow wing coloration from non-3-OHK yellow wing coloration found in other heliconiines. These results provide some of the first behavioral evidence for female H. erato UV color discrimination in the context of foraging, lending support to the hypothesis ( Briscoe et al., 2010) that the duplicated UV opsin genes function together in UV color vision. Taken together, the sexually dimorphic visual system of H. erato appears to have been shaped by both sexual selection and sex-specific natural selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan D Finkbeiner
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Long Beach, CA 90840, USA
| | - Adriana D Briscoe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
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15
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Liénard MA, Bernard GD, Allen A, Lassance JM, Song S, Childers RR, Yu N, Ye D, Stephenson A, Valencia-Montoya WA, Salzman S, Whitaker MRL, Calonje M, Zhang F, Pierce NE. The evolution of red color vision is linked to coordinated rhodopsin tuning in lycaenid butterflies. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2008986118. [PMID: 33547236 PMCID: PMC8017955 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2008986118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Color vision has evolved multiple times in both vertebrates and invertebrates and is largely determined by the number and variation in spectral sensitivities of distinct opsin subclasses. However, because of the difficulty of expressing long-wavelength (LW) invertebrate opsins in vitro, our understanding of the molecular basis of functional shifts in opsin spectral sensitivities has been biased toward research primarily in vertebrates. This has restricted our ability to address whether invertebrate Gq protein-coupled opsins function in a novel or convergent way compared to vertebrate Gt opsins. Here we develop a robust heterologous expression system to purify invertebrate rhodopsins, identify specific amino acid changes responsible for adaptive spectral tuning, and pinpoint how molecular variation in invertebrate opsins underlie wavelength sensitivity shifts that enhance visual perception. By combining functional and optophysiological approaches, we disentangle the relative contributions of lateral filtering pigments from red-shifted LW and blue short-wavelength opsins expressed in distinct photoreceptor cells of individual ommatidia. We use in situ hybridization to visualize six ommatidial classes in the compound eye of a lycaenid butterfly with a four-opsin visual system. We show experimentally that certain key tuning residues underlying green spectral shifts in blue opsin paralogs have evolved repeatedly among short-wavelength opsin lineages. Taken together, our results demonstrate the interplay between regulatory and adaptive evolution at multiple Gq opsin loci, as well as how coordinated spectral shifts in LW and blue opsins can act together to enhance insect spectral sensitivity at blue and red wavelengths for visual performance adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjorie A Liénard
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02142;
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - Gary D Bernard
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
| | - Andrew Allen
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02142
| | - Jean-Marc Lassance
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - Siliang Song
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - Richard Rabideau Childers
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - Nanfang Yu
- Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027
| | - Dajia Ye
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - Adriana Stephenson
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - Wendy A Valencia-Montoya
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - Shayla Salzman
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - Melissa R L Whitaker
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | | | - Feng Zhang
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02142
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Naomi E Pierce
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138;
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16
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van der Kooi CJ, Stavenga DG, Arikawa K, Belušič G, Kelber A. Evolution of Insect Color Vision: From Spectral Sensitivity to Visual Ecology. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2021; 66:435-461. [PMID: 32966103 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-061720-071644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Color vision is widespread among insects but varies among species, depending on the spectral sensitivities and interplay of the participating photoreceptors. The spectral sensitivity of a photoreceptor is principally determined by the absorption spectrum of the expressed visual pigment, but it can be modified by various optical and electrophysiological factors. For example, screening and filtering pigments, rhabdom waveguide properties, retinal structure, and neural processing all influence the perceived color signal. We review the diversity in compound eye structure, visual pigments, photoreceptor physiology, and visual ecology of insects. Based on an overview of the current information about the spectral sensitivities of insect photoreceptors, covering 221 species in 13 insect orders, we discuss the evolution of color vision and highlight present knowledge gaps and promising future research directions in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casper J van der Kooi
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, 9700 AK Groningen, The Netherlands;
| | - Doekele G Stavenga
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, 9700 AK Groningen, The Netherlands;
| | - Kentaro Arikawa
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, SOKENDAI Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Kanagawa 240-0193, Japan;
| | - Gregor Belušič
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;
| | - Almut Kelber
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, University of Lund, 22362 Lund, Sweden;
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17
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Rossi M, Hausmann AE, Thurman TJ, Montgomery SH, Papa R, Jiggins CD, McMillan WO, Merrill RM. Visual mate preference evolution during butterfly speciation is linked to neural processing genes. Nat Commun 2020; 11:4763. [PMID: 32958765 PMCID: PMC7506007 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18609-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Many animal species remain separate not because their individuals fail to produce viable hybrids but because they "choose" not to mate. However, we still know very little of the genetic mechanisms underlying changes in these mate preference behaviours. Heliconius butterflies display bright warning patterns, which they also use to recognize conspecifics. Here, we couple QTL for divergence in visual preference behaviours with population genomic and gene expression analyses of neural tissue (central brain, optic lobes and ommatidia) across development in two sympatric Heliconius species. Within a region containing 200 genes, we identify five genes that are strongly associated with divergent visual preferences. Three of these have previously been implicated in key components of neural signalling (specifically an ionotropic glutamate receptor and two regucalcins), and overall our candidates suggest shifts in behaviour involve changes in visual integration or processing. This would allow preference evolution without altering perception of the wider environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Rossi
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, LMU, Munich, Germany.
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama.
| | | | - Timothy J Thurman
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Montana, USA
| | | | - Riccardo Papa
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama
- Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Molecular Sciences and Research Center, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Chris D Jiggins
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - W Owen McMillan
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama
| | - Richard M Merrill
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, LMU, Munich, Germany.
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama.
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18
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Drewniak ME, Briscoe AD, Cocucci AA, Beccacece HM, Zapata AI, Moré M. From the butterfly’s point of view: learned colour association determines differential pollination of two co-occurring mock verbains by Agraulis vanillae (Nymphalidae). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blaa066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Learning plays an important role in the location and utilization of nectar sources for pollinators. In this work we focus on the plant-pollinator interaction between the butterfly Agraulis vanillae (Nymphalidae) and two Glandularia plant species (Verbenaceae) that grow in sympatry. Bioassays using arrays of artificial flowers (red vs. lilac-purple) showed that naïve A. vanillae butterflies do not have innate colour preferences for any of the tested colours. Trained butterflies were able to learn to associate both floral colours with the presence of nectar rewards. Wild A. vanillae butterflies visited the red flowers of Glandularia peruviana much more frequently than the lilac-purple flowers of Glandularia venturii. Standing nectar crop measurements showed that G. peruviana flowers offered three times more sucrose than the flowers of G. venturii. Analyses confirmed that corolla colour of G. peruviana (red flowers) and G. venturii (lilac-purple flowers) were discriminable in the butterfly’s colour space. These findings may indicate flexibility in A. vanillae preferences due to a learned association between red coloration and higher nectar rewards.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Eugenia Drewniak
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (CONICET-UNC), Córdoba, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Adriana D Briscoe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Andrea A Cocucci
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (CONICET-UNC), Córdoba, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Hernán M Beccacece
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Adriana I Zapata
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Marcela Moré
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (CONICET-UNC), Córdoba, Argentina
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19
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Interplay between Developmental Flexibility and Determinism in the Evolution of Mimetic Heliconius Wing Patterns. Curr Biol 2019; 29:3996-4009.e4. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2019] [Revised: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 10/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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20
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Zhang W, Leon-Ricardo BX, van Schooten B, Van Belleghem SM, Counterman BA, McMillan WO, Kronforst MR, Papa R. Comparative Transcriptomics Provides Insights into Reticulate and Adaptive Evolution of a Butterfly Radiation. Genome Biol Evol 2019; 11:2963-2975. [PMID: 31518398 PMCID: PMC6821300 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evz202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Butterfly eyes are complex organs that are composed of a diversity of proteins and they play a central role in visual signaling and ultimately, speciation, and adaptation. Here, we utilized the whole eye transcriptome to obtain a more holistic view of the evolution of the butterfly eye while accounting for speciation events that co-occur with ancient hybridization. We sequenced and assembled transcriptomes from adult female eyes of eight species representing all major clades of the Heliconius genus and an additional outgroup species, Dryas iulia. We identified 4,042 orthologous genes shared across all transcriptome data sets and constructed a transcriptome-wide phylogeny, which revealed topological discordance with the mitochondrial phylogenetic tree in the Heliconius pupal mating clade. We then estimated introgression among lineages using additional genome data and found evidence for ancient hybridization leading to the common ancestor of Heliconius hortense and Heliconius clysonymus. We estimated the Ka/Ks ratio for each orthologous cluster and performed further tests to demonstrate genes showing evidence of adaptive protein evolution. Furthermore, we characterized patterns of expression for a subset of these positively selected orthologs using qRT-PCR. Taken together, we identified candidate eye genes that show signatures of adaptive molecular evolution and provide evidence of their expression divergence between species, tissues, and sexes. Our results demonstrate: 1) greater evolutionary changes in younger Heliconius lineages, that is, more positively selected genes in the cydno-melpomene-hecale group as opposed to the sara-hortense-erato group, and 2) suggest an ancient hybridization leading to speciation among Heliconius pupal-mating species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, and School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago
| | | | - Bas van Schooten
- Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico
- Molecular Sciences and Research Center, University of Puerto Rico
| | | | | | | | | | - Riccardo Papa
- Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico
- Molecular Sciences and Research Center, University of Puerto Rico
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21
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Catalán A, Briscoe AD, Höhna S. Drift and Directional Selection Are the Evolutionary Forces Driving Gene Expression Divergence in Eye and Brain Tissue of Heliconius Butterflies. Genetics 2019; 213:581-594. [PMID: 31467133 PMCID: PMC6781903 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.119.302493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Investigating gene expression evolution over micro- and macroevolutionary timescales will expand our understanding of the role of gene expression in adaptation and speciation. In this study, we characterized the evolutionary forces acting on gene expression levels in eye and brain tissue of five Heliconius butterflies with divergence times of ∼5-12 MYA. We developed and applied Brownian motion (BM) and Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU) models to identify genes whose expression levels are evolving through drift, stabilizing selection, or a lineage-specific shift. We found that 81% of the genes evolve under genetic drift. When testing for branch-specific shifts in gene expression, we detected 368 (16%) shift events. Genes showing a shift toward upregulation have significantly lower gene expression variance than those genes showing a shift leading toward downregulation. We hypothesize that directional selection is acting in shifts causing upregulation, since transcription is costly. We further uncovered through simulations that parameter estimation of OU models is biased when using small phylogenies and only becomes reliable with phylogenies having ≥ 50 taxa. Therefore, we developed a new statistical test based on BM to identify highly conserved genes (i.e., evolving under strong stabilizing selection), which comprised 3% of the orthoclusters. In conclusion, we found that drift is the dominant evolutionary force driving gene expression evolution in eye and brain tissue in Heliconius Nevertheless, the higher proportion of genes evolving under directional than under stabilizing selection might reflect species-specific selective pressures on vision and the brain that are necessary to fulfill species-specific requirements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Catalán
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre (EBC), Uppsala University, 75236, Sweden
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried 82152, Germany
| | - Adriana D Briscoe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697
| | - Sebastian Höhna
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried 82152, Germany
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Paleontology and Geobiology, 80333 Munich, Germany
- GeoBio-Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 80333 Munich, Germany
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22
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Parnell AJ, Bradford JE, Curran EV, Washington AL, Adams G, Brien MN, Burg SL, Morochz C, Fairclough JPA, Vukusic P, Martin SJ, Doak S, Nadeau NJ. Wing scale ultrastructure underlying convergent and divergent iridescent colours in mimetic Heliconius butterflies. J R Soc Interface 2019; 15:rsif.2017.0948. [PMID: 29669892 PMCID: PMC5938584 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2017.0948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2017] [Accepted: 03/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Iridescence is an optical phenomenon whereby colour changes with the illumination and viewing angle. It can be produced by thin film interference or diffraction. Iridescent optical structures are fairly common in nature, but relatively little is known about their production or evolution. Here we describe the structures responsible for producing blue-green iridescent colour in Heliconius butterflies. Overall the wing scale structures of iridescent and non-iridescent Heliconius species are very similar, both having longitudinal ridges joined by cross-ribs. However, iridescent scales have ridges composed of layered lamellae, which act as multilayer reflectors. Differences in brightness between species can be explained by the extent of overlap of the lamellae and their curvature as well as the density of ridges on the scale. Heliconius are well known for their Müllerian mimicry. We find that iridescent structural colour is not closely matched between co-mimetic species. Differences appear less pronounced in models of Heliconius vision than models of avian vision, suggesting that they are not driven by selection to avoid heterospecific courtship by co-mimics. Ridge profiles appear to evolve relatively slowly, being similar between closely related taxa, while ridge density evolves faster and is similar between distantly related co-mimics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Parnell
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield, Hicks Building, Hounsfield Road, Sheffield S3 7RH, UK
| | - James E Bradford
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield, Hicks Building, Hounsfield Road, Sheffield S3 7RH, UK
| | - Emma V Curran
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Alfred Denny Building, Western bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Adam L Washington
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield, Hicks Building, Hounsfield Road, Sheffield S3 7RH, UK.,Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S3 7HQ, UK
| | - Gracie Adams
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Alfred Denny Building, Western bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Melanie N Brien
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Alfred Denny Building, Western bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Stephanie L Burg
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield, Hicks Building, Hounsfield Road, Sheffield S3 7RH, UK
| | | | | | - Pete Vukusic
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QL, UK
| | - Simon J Martin
- Department of Materials, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UK
| | - Scott Doak
- Department of Materials, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UK
| | - Nicola J Nadeau
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Alfred Denny Building, Western bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
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23
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Macias-Muñoz A, Rangel Olguin AG, Briscoe AD. Evolution of Phototransduction Genes in Lepidoptera. Genome Biol Evol 2019; 11:2107-2124. [PMID: 31298692 PMCID: PMC6698658 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evz150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Vision is underpinned by phototransduction, a signaling cascade that converts light energy into an electrical signal. Among insects, phototransduction is best understood in Drosophila melanogaster. Comparison of D. melanogaster against three insect species found several phototransduction gene gains and losses, however, lepidopterans were not examined. Diurnal butterflies and nocturnal moths occupy different light environments and have distinct eye morphologies, which might impact the expression of their phototransduction genes. Here we investigated: 1) how phototransduction genes vary in gene gain or loss between D. melanogaster and Lepidoptera, and 2) variations in phototransduction genes between moths and butterflies. To test our prediction of phototransduction differences due to distinct visual ecologies, we used insect reference genomes, phylogenetics, and moth and butterfly head RNA-Seq and transcriptome data. As expected, most phototransduction genes were conserved between D. melanogaster and Lepidoptera, with some exceptions. Notably, we found two lepidopteran opsins lacking a D. melanogaster ortholog. Using antibodies we found that one of these opsins, a candidate retinochrome, which we refer to as unclassified opsin (UnRh), is expressed in the crystalline cone cells and the pigment cells of the butterfly, Heliconius melpomene. Our results also show that butterflies express similar amounts of trp and trpl channel mRNAs, whereas moths express ∼50× less trp, a potential adaptation to darkness. Our findings suggest that while many single-copy D. melanogaster phototransduction genes are conserved in lepidopterans, phototransduction gene expression differences exist between moths and butterflies that may be linked to their visual light environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aide Macias-Muñoz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine
| | | | - Adriana D Briscoe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine
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24
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Dell'Aglio DD, Troscianko J, McMillan WO, Stevens M, Jiggins CD. The appearance of mimetic Heliconius butterflies to predators and conspecifics. Evolution 2018; 72:2156-2166. [PMID: 30129174 PMCID: PMC6221148 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2017] [Revised: 08/01/2018] [Accepted: 08/10/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Adaptive coloration is under conflicting selection pressures: choosing potential mates and warning signaling against visually guided predators. Different elements of the color signal may therefore be tuned by evolution for different functions. We investigated how mimicry in four pairs of Heliconius comimics is potentially seen both from the perspective of butterflies and birds. Visual sensitivities of eight candidate avian predators were predicted through genetic analysis of their opsin genes. Using digital image color analysis, combined with bird and butterfly visual system models, we explored how predators and conspecifics may visualize mimetic patterns. Ultraviolet vision (UVS) birds are able to discriminate between the yellow and white colors of comimics better than violet vision (VS) birds. For Heliconius vision, males and females differ in their ability to discriminate comimics. Female vision and red filtering pigments have a significant effect on the perception of the yellow forewing band and the red ventral forewing pattern. A behavioral experiment showed that UV cues are used in mating behavior; removal of such cues was associated with an increased tendency to approach comimics as compared to conspecifics. We have therefore shown that visual signals can act to both reduce the cost of confusion in courtship and maintain the advantages of mimicry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise Dalbosco Dell'Aglio
- Butterfly Genetics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.,Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama
| | - Jolyon Troscianko
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, United Kingdom
| | - W Owen McMillan
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama
| | - Martin Stevens
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, United Kingdom
| | - Chris D Jiggins
- Butterfly Genetics Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.,Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama
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Catalán A, Macias-Muñoz A, Briscoe AD. Evolution of Sex-Biased Gene Expression and Dosage Compensation in the Eye and Brain of Heliconius Butterflies. Mol Biol Evol 2018; 35:2120-2134. [DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msy111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ana Catalán
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA
- Section of Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology II, Ludwig Maximilians Universität, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Aide Macias-Muñoz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA
| | - Adriana D Briscoe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA
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Macias-Muñoz A, McCulloch KJ, Briscoe AD. Copy Number Variation and Expression Analysis Reveals a Nonorthologous Pinta Gene Family Member Involved in Butterfly Vision. Genome Biol Evol 2017; 9:3398-3412. [PMID: 29136137 PMCID: PMC5739039 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evx230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/08/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Vertebrate (cellular retinaldehyde-binding protein) and Drosophila (prolonged depolarization afterpotential is not apparent [PINTA]) proteins with a CRAL-TRIO domain transport retinal-based chromophores that bind to opsin proteins and are necessary for phototransduction. The CRAL-TRIO domain gene family is composed of genes that encode proteins with a common N-terminal structural domain. Although there is an expansion of this gene family in Lepidoptera, there is no lepidopteran ortholog of pinta. Further, the function of these genes in lepidopterans has not yet been established. Here, we explored the molecular evolution and expression of CRAL-TRIO domain genes in the butterfly Heliconius melpomene in order to identify a member of this gene family as a candidate chromophore transporter. We generated and searched a four tissue transcriptome and searched a reference genome for CRAL-TRIO domain genes. We expanded an insect CRAL-TRIO domain gene phylogeny to include H. melpomene and used 18 genomes from 4 subspecies to assess copy number variation. A transcriptome-wide differential expression analysis comparing four tissue types identified a CRAL-TRIO domain gene, Hme CTD31, upregulated in heads suggesting a potential role in vision for this CRAL-TRIO domain gene. RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry confirmed that Hme CTD31 and its protein product are expressed in the retina, specifically in primary and secondary pigment cells and in tracheal cells. Sequencing of eye protein extracts that fluoresce in the ultraviolet identified Hme CTD31 as a possible chromophore binding protein. Although we found several recent duplications and numerous copy number variants in CRAL-TRIO domain genes, we identified a single copy pinta paralog that likely binds the chromophore in butterflies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aide Macias-Muñoz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine
| | - Kyle J McCulloch
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine.,FAS Center for Systems Biology, Harvard University
| | - Adriana D Briscoe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine
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Arikawa K, Iwanaga T, Wakakuwa M, Kinoshita M. Unique Temporal Expression of Triplicated Long-Wavelength Opsins in Developing Butterfly Eyes. Front Neural Circuits 2017; 11:96. [PMID: 29238294 PMCID: PMC5712540 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2017.00096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2017] [Accepted: 11/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Following gene duplication events, the expression patterns of the resulting gene copies can often diverge both spatially and temporally. Here we report on gene duplicates that are expressed in distinct but overlapping patterns, and which exhibit temporally divergent expression. Butterflies have sophisticated color vision and spectrally complex eyes, typically with three types of heterogeneous ommatidia. The eyes of the butterfly Papilio xuthus express two green- and one red-absorbing visual pigment, which came about via gene duplication events, in addition to one ultraviolet (UV)- and one blue-absorbing visual pigment. We localized mRNAs encoding opsins of these visual pigments in developing eye disks throughout the pupal stage. The mRNAs of the UV and blue opsin are expressed early in pupal development (pd), specifying the type of the ommatidium in which they appear. Red sensitive photoreceptors first express a green opsin mRNA, which is replaced later by the red opsin mRNA. Broadband photoreceptors (that coexpress the green and red opsins) first express the green opsin mRNA, later change to red opsin mRNA and finally re-express the green opsin mRNA in addition to the red mRNA. Such a unique temporal and spatial expression pattern of opsin mRNAs may reflect the evolution of visual pigments and provide clues toward understanding how the spectrally complex eyes of butterflies evolved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kentaro Arikawa
- Laboratory of Neuroethology, Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Hayama, Japan
| | - Tomoyuki Iwanaga
- Graduate School of Integrated Science, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Motohiro Wakakuwa
- Laboratory of Neuroethology, Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Hayama, Japan
| | - Michiyo Kinoshita
- Laboratory of Neuroethology, Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Hayama, Japan
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Wilts BD, Vey AJM, Briscoe AD, Stavenga DG. Longwing (Heliconius) butterflies combine a restricted set of pigmentary and structural coloration mechanisms. BMC Evol Biol 2017; 17:226. [PMID: 29162029 PMCID: PMC5699198 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-017-1073-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2017] [Accepted: 11/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Longwing butterflies, Heliconius sp., also called heliconians, are striking examples of diversity and mimicry in butterflies. Heliconians feature strongly colored patterns on their wings, arising from wing scales colored by pigments and/or nanostructures, which serve as an aposematic signal. RESULTS Here, we investigate the coloration mechanisms among several species of Heliconius by applying scanning electron microscopy, (micro)spectrophotometry, and imaging scatterometry. We identify seven kinds of colored scales within Heliconius whose coloration is derived from pigments, nanostructures or both. In yellow-, orange- and red-colored wing patches, both cover and ground scales contain wavelength-selective absorbing pigments, 3-OH-kynurenine, xanthommatin and/or dihydroxanthommatin. In blue wing patches, the cover scales are blue either due to interference of light in the thin-film lower lamina (e.g., H. doris) or in the multilayered lamellae in the scale ridges (so-called ridge reflectors, e.g., H. sara and H. erato); the underlying ground scales are black. In the white wing patches, both cover and ground scales are blue due to their thin-film lower lamina, but because they are stacked upon each other and at the wing substrate, a faint bluish to white color results. Lastly, green wing patches (H. doris) have cover scales with blue-reflecting thin films and short-wavelength absorbing 3-OH-kynurenine, together causing a green color. CONCLUSIONS The pigmentary and structural traits are discussed in relation to their phylogenetic distribution and the evolution of vision in this highly interesting clade of butterflies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bodo D Wilts
- Computational Physics, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, NL-9747AG, Groningen, The Netherlands.
- Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, CH-1700, Fribourg, Switzerland.
| | - Aidan J M Vey
- Computational Physics, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, NL-9747AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Adriana D Briscoe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Doekele G Stavenga
- Computational Physics, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, NL-9747AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
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