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Figure 5 in Butterfly fauna (Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea) in a heterogeneous area between two biodiversity hotspots in Minas Gerais, Brazil

Figure 5. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) of the butterfly species composition in sampling sites of Cerrado domain, Atlantic Rainforest and Forest-Cerrado transition areas, in the 'Serra do Rola-Moça' State Park, Minas Gerais state, Brazil.

Figure 4 in Butterfly fauna (Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea) in a heterogeneous area between two biodiversity hotspots in Minas Gerais, Brazil

Figure 4. Sample coverage of species richness in rainy and dry seasons, in the 'Serra do Rola-Moça' State Park, Minas Gerais state, Brazil.

Figure 2 in Butterfly fauna (Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea) in a heterogeneous area between two biodiversity hotspots in Minas Gerais, Brazil

Figure 2. Sample coverage of species richness in rainy season, in the'Serra do Rola-Moça' State Park, Minas Gerais state, Brazil.

Figure 3 in Butterfly fauna (Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea) in a heterogeneous area between two biodiversity hotspots in Minas Gerais, Brazil

Figure 3. Sample coverage of species richness in dry season, in the 'Serra do Rola-Moça' State Park, Minas Gerais state, Brazil.

Figure 4 in Use of microhabitats affects butterfly assemblages in a rural landscape

Figure 4. Results of integrated coverage-based rarefaction-extrapolation (Chao & Jost, 2012) of butterfly richness between 18 sampled points in a rural landscape in Southern Brazil (confidence interval = 95%). Continuous lines (rarefaction), dotted lines (extrapolation).

Figure 5 in Use of microhabitats affects butterfly assemblages in a rural landscape

Figure 5. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS), plots representing butterfly assemblages composition measured in distinct types of microhabitats (abandoned edge, road edge, farmland edge and forest interior) in a rural landscape in Southern Brazil. a) Including forest interior sampled sites (Stress = 0.11); b) Excluding forest interior sampled sites (Stress = 0.14). Forest interior butterfly communities are distinct from all edge communities, but all edge habitats support similar butterfly communities despite microhabitat differences (even when interior samples are removed from the data analysis).

Figure 3 in Use of microhabitats affects butterfly assemblages in a rural landscape

Figure 3. Results of integrated coverage-based rarefaction-extrapolation (Chao & Jost, 2012) of butterfly richness between microhabitat types in a rural landscape in Southern Brazil (confidence interval = 95%). Continuous lines (rarefaction), dotted lines (extrapolation).

Figure 2 in Use of microhabitats affects butterfly assemblages in a rural landscape

Figure 2. Characterization of the sampled microhabitats in a rural landscape in Southern Brazil. (a, b) forest interior; (c, d) abandoned edge; (e, f) farmland edge; (g, h) road edge.

Figure 1 in Use of microhabitats affects butterfly assemblages in a rural landscape

Figure 1. Location of the study area in the Joaçaba Municipality, Santa Catarina State, Brazil. (a) Fragments sampled; (b-c) Distribution of collection points of A, B and C fragments.

opencc-by-4.0Jun 2005View details →

Figure 1 in A classification of Danaus butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) based upon data from morphology and DNA

Figure 1. Cladistic reconstruction of the genus Danaus, after Ackery & Vane-Wright (1984).

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2020View details →

Conserved ancestral tropical niche but different continental histories explain the latitudinal diversity gradient in brush-footed butterflies

Supplementary Tree 1.nex Nymphalidae backbone tree inferred with RAxML and time-calibrated using BEAST, with mean posterior node ages and 95% credibility intervals summarized. More information can be found in Chazot et al. (2021). Conserved ancestral tropical niche but different continental histories explain the latitudinal diversity gradient in brush-footed butterflies. Nature Communications.   Supplementary Tree 2.nex Maximum clade credibility tree of all Nymphalidae included in "Chazot et al. (2021). Conserved ancestral tropical niche but different continental histories explain the latitudinal diversity gradient in brush-footed butterflies. Nature Communications.", with mean posterior node ages and 95% credibility intervals estimated from the posterior distribution of 1000 grafted trees (1000 subclades posterior trees combined with 1000 backbone posterior trees).  More information can be found in Chazot et al. (2021). Conserved ancestral tropical niche but different continental histories explain the latitudinal diversity gradient in brush-footed butterflies. Nature Communications.

opencc-zeroOct 2021View details →

Clustering of loci controlling species differences in male chemical bouquets of sympatric Heliconius butterflies

The degree to which loci promoting reproductive isolation cluster in the genome – i.e. the genetic architecture of reproductive isolation - can influence the tempo and mode of speciation. Tight linkage between these loci can facilitate speciation in the face of gene flow. Pheromones play a role in reproductive isolation in many Lepidoptera species, and the role of endogenously-produced compounds as secondary metabolites decreases the likelihood of pleiotropy associated with many barrier loci. Heliconius butterflies use male sex pheromones to both court females (aphrodisiac wing pheromones) and ward off male courtship (male-transferred anti-aphrodisiac genital pheromones), and it is likely that these compounds play a role in reproductive isolation between Heliconius species. Using a set of backcross hybrids between H. melpomene and H. cydno, we investigated the genetic architecture of putative male pheromone compound production. We found a set of 40 significant quantitative trait loci (QTL) representing 33 potential pheromone compounds. QTL clustered significantly on two chromosomes, chromosome 8 for genital compounds and chromosome 20 for wing compounds, and chromosome 20 was enriched for potential pheromone biosynthesis genes. There was minimal overlap between pheromone QTL and known QTL for mate choice and color pattern. Nonetheless, we did detect linkage between a QTL for wing androconial area and optix, a color pattern locus known to play a role in reproductive isolation in these species. This tight clustering of putative pheromone loci might contribute to coincident reproductive isolating barriers, facilitating speciation despite ongoing gene flow.

opencc-zeroOct 2021View details →

Alternative developmental and transcriptomic responses to host plant water limitation in a butterfly metapopulation

The dataset is from a study examining the effects of host plant water stress on the developmental and transcriptomic responses of its specialist Lepidopteran herbivore. The study combines host plant metabolic profiling with development assays and full-transcriptome sequencing of herbivore larvae. First, we profiled metabolic differences between well-watered and water-limited ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata) using proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-NMR). Second, we tested how performance of developing Glanville fritillary (Melitaea cinxia) larvae was affected by host plant water limitation experienced at different larval developmental stages. Third, we examined larval gene regulatory responses to water limited host plants by sequencing full transcriptomes of 77 female larvae (RNA seq). Finally, to examine intrapopulation variation in the responses of the larvae, we compared the phenotypic and transcriptomic responses across full-sib families originating from different parts of the metapopulation. In this dataset, we provide data for the P. lanceolata metabolite responses to water limitation and developmental responses of the M. cinxia larvae to feeding on water limited P. lanceolata. The transcriptomic data are available from NCBI's Gene Expression Omnibus, with the accession number GSE159376.

opencc-zeroOct 2022View details →

Dataset 2 for Large‐ and small‐scale geographic structures affecting genetic patterns across populations of an Alpine butterfly

Understanding factors influencing patterns of genetic diversity and the population genetic structure of species is of particular importance in the current era of global climate change and habitat loss. These factors include the evolutionary history of a species as well as heterogeneity in the environment it occupies, which in turn can change across time. Most studies investigating spatio-temporal genetic patterns have focused on patterns across wide geographical areas rather than local variation, but the latter can nevertheless be important particularly in topographically complex areas. Here we consider these issues in the Sooty Copper butterfly (Lycaena tityrus) from the European Alps, using genome-wide SNPs identified through RADseq. We found strong genetic differentiation within the Alps with four genetic clusters, indicating western, central, and eastern refuges, and a strong reduction of genetic diversity from west to east. This reduction in diversity may suggest that the southwestern refuge was the largest one in comparison to other refuges. Also, the high genetic diversity in the West may result from (1) admixture of different western refuges, (2) more recent demographic changes, or (3) introgression of lowland L. tityrus populations. At small spatial scales, populations were structured by several landscape features and especially by high mountain ridges and large river valleys. We detected 36 outlier loci likely under altitudinal selection, including several loci related to membranes and cellular processes. We suggest that efforts to preserve alpine L. tityrus should focus on the genetically diverse populations in the western Alps, and that the dolomite populations should be treated as genetically distinct management units, since they appear to be currently more threatened than others. This study demonstrates the usefulness of SNP-based approaches for understanding patterns of genetic diversity, gene flow and selection in a region that is expected to be particularly vulnerable to climate change.

opencc-zeroNov 2022View details →

Balanced polymorphisms and their divergence in a Heliconius butterfly

The evolution of mimicry in similarly defended prey is well described by Müllerian mimicry theory, which predicts the convergence of warning patterns in order to gain the most protection from predators. However, despite this prediction, we can find great diversity of color patterns amongst Müllerian mimics such as Heliconius butterflies in the neotropics. Furthermore, some species have evolved the ability to maintain multiple distinct warning patterns in single populations, a phenomenon known as polymorphic mimicry. The adaptive benefit of these polymorphisms is questionable since variation from the most common warning patterns is expected to be disadvantageous as novel signals are punished by predators naive to them. In this study we use artificial butterfly models throughout Central and South America to characterize the selective pressures maintaining polymorphic mimicry in Heliconius doris. Our results highlight the complexity of positive frequency-dependent selection, the principal selective pressure driving convergence amongst Müllerian mimics, and its impacts on interspecific variation of mimetic warning coloration. We further show how this selection regime can both limit and facilitate the diversification of mimetic traits.

opencc-zeroDec 2022View details →

Data for: The central Alps comprise a major dispersal barrier between western and eastern populations of two butterfly species

Aim: Environmental and species-specific factors shape spatial patterns in genetic diversity and population structure. Comparing different species within the same area helps to disentangle more general from species-specific factors affecting such geographic patterns. Here, we examined genetic diversity and population structuring through geographic features in two alpine butterfly species. Location: European Alps. Taxon: Copper butterflies (Lycaena spp.). Methods: We sampled 21 Lycaena hippothoe and 14 L. virgaureae populations with 18 individuals per population. We analysed the genetic diversity and structure<a> </a>of these populations by using 14 and nine microsatellite markers for L. hippothoe and L. virgaureae , respectively. Results: We found higher number of alleles, allelic richness, observed heterozygosity, FST values and more genetic clusters in L. hippothoe than in L. virgaureae. Both species displayed a major genetic barrier in the central Alps. Western and eastern L. hippothoe populations but central L. virgaureae populations showed the highest genetic diversity. Main Conclusions: The population genetic structures of both Copper butterflies seemed to be strongly affected by population history and demography. Patterns indicate for both species a western and an eastern glacial refuge. The high genetic diversity and pronounced population structure found in L. hippothoe seems to be related to a low dispersal ability and closed populations with high local abundances as opposed to L. virgaureae. The higher dispersal of the latter likely caused hybridisation in the central alpine contact zone boosting genetic diversity, which was not the case in L. hippothoe. These findings suggest that different conservation strategies are needed for these closely related species.

opencc-by-4.0Jan 2023View details →

Leeds Butterfly Dataset

This dataset contains images and textual descriptions for ten categories (species) of butterflies. More specifically, it contains: <ul> <li>Images for ten butterfly categories</li> <li>Segmentation masks for each image</li> <li>Textual descriptions for each butterfly category</li> </ul> The image dataset comprises 832 images in total, with the distribution ranging from 55 to 100 images per category. Images were collected from Google Images by querying with the scientific (Latin) name of the species, for example "Danaus plexippus", and manually filtered for those depicting the butterfly of interest.  The textual descriptions for each butterfly category were obtained from the eNature online nature guide back in 2008 (website no longer available). Please refer to our paper for a more detailed description of the dataset: Josiah Wang, Katja Markert, Mark Everingham (2009). <a href="http://www.bmva.org/bmvc/2009/Papers/Paper106/Paper106.html">Learning Models for Object Recognition from Natural Language Descriptions</a>. In <a href="http://www.bmva.org/bmvc/2009/">Proceedings of the 20th British Machine Vision Conference (BMVC2009)</a>, September 2009. Also see the <a href="http://videolectures.net/bmvc09_wang_lmor/">video recording of the oral presentation</a>. <ul> </ul>

opencc-zeroFeb 2023View details →

Data for: Perishing rich, expanding poor: Demography and population genetic patterns in two congeneric butterflies

In human-altered landscapes, specialist butterflies typically form spatially restricted populations, genetically differentiated due to dispersal restrictions. Generalists, in contrast, display minimum differentiation but high genetic diversity. While local-level actions suffice to conserve specialists and landscape-level actions are necessary for generalists, minimum information exists regarding conservation of species with intermediate features. We targeted two congeneric butterflies, the recently re-expanding Argynnis adippe and the strongly declining A. niobe, co-occurring in the pastoral landscape of the Carpathian Mountains, Czech Republic. We integrated species distribution models, mark-recapture, and microsatellite analysis to compare their habitat requirements, adult demography, dispersal, and genetic patterns, and expanded the genetic analysis across the Carpathian Arc and beyond to delimit spatial conservation units. In two mountain valleys, both species formed interconnected populations numbering thousands of individuals. Mobility patterns suggested the populations' interconnection across the Czech Carpathians. Genetic diversity was extremely poor in the non-threatened A. adippe and moderate in the declining A. niobe. No population differentiation was detected within the Czech Carpathians (ca 1500 km2). Low genetic diversity and no differentiation was preserved in A. adippe across East Central Europe, whereas in A. niobe, populations from Serbia were differentiated from the Carpathian Arc + Alps. The high adult mobility linked to low differentiation probably reflect the distribution of larval resources, historically widespread but sparse and currently declining for A. niobe (grazing-disturbed grounds), while currently increasing for A. adippe (abandonment scrub, disturbed woodlands). Units as large as entire mountain systems define population boundaries, and hence conservation management units, for both species.

opencc-zeroDec 2022View details →

Data for: Butterfly foraging is remarkably synchronous in an experimental tropical macrocosm

Diel patterns in foraging activity are dictated by a combination of abiotic, biotic, and endogenous limits. Understanding these limits is important for insects because ectotherm taxa will respond more pronouncedly to ongoing climatic change, potentially affecting crucial ecosystem services. We leverage an experimental macrocosm, the Montreal Insectarium Grand Vivarium, to test the importance of endogenous mechanisms in determining temporal patterns in foraging activity of butterflies. Specifically, we assessed the degree of temporal niche partitioning among 24 butterfly species originating from the Earth's tropics within controlled environmental conditions. We found strong niche overlap, with the frequency of foraging events peaking around solar noon for 96% of the species assessed. Our models suggest that this result was not due to the extent of cloud cover, which affects radiational heating and thus limits body temperature in butterflies. Together, these findings suggest that an endogenous mechanism evolved to regulate the timing of butterfly foraging activity within suitable environmental conditions. Understanding similar mechanisms will be crucial to forecast the effects of climate change on insects, and thus on the many ecosystem services they provide.