Origin of the mechanism of phenotypic plasticity in satyrid butterfly eyespots.
Plasticity is often regarded as a derived adaptation to help organisms survive in variable but predictable environments, however, we currently lack a rigorous, mechanistic examination of how plasticity evolves in a large comparative framework. Here, we show that phenotypic plasticity in eyespot size in response to environmental temperature observed in Bicyclus anynana satyrid butterflies is a complex derived adaptation of this lineage. By reconstructing the evolution of known physiological and molecular components of eyespot size plasticity in a comparative framework, we showed that 20E titer plasticity in response to temperature is a pre-adaptation shared by all butterfly species examined, whereas expression of EcR in eyespot centers, and eyespot sensitivity to 20E, are both derived traits found only in a subset of species with eyespots.
Duke Scholars
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- Temperature
- Seasons
- Receptors, Steroid
- Pigmentation
- Female
- Ecdysterone
- Butterflies
- Biological Evolution
- Animals
- Adaptation, Physiological
Citation
Published In
DOI
EISSN
ISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Start / End Page
Related Subject Headings
- Temperature
- Seasons
- Receptors, Steroid
- Pigmentation
- Female
- Ecdysterone
- Butterflies
- Biological Evolution
- Animals
- Adaptation, Physiological