Candidate Gene-Based Dissection of Butterfly Eyespot Evolution

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The project will use cutting edge genomic techniques to dissect the genetic basis of butterfly wing eyespot patterning. These eyespots consist of concentric rings of different colors, and have important ecological roles in both predator avoidance and mate choice. Eyespots have long fascinated biologists and laymen alike. They are a particularly exciting model system as there is great diversity in these patterns within and between butterfly species and this diversity is amenable to analysis at different levels, including ecological, physiological, developmental, and genetical. The type of integrated approach that is possible with this system is of great value to biological research.We will develop genomic tools that will allow us to explore variation in the wing patterns of Bicyclus anynana butterflies. These tools will include a library containing genes which are expressed in developing butterfly wings, and a genetic map made using DNA sequence polymorphisms in many of those genes. The genetic map will help us localize the genes which contribute to eyespot variation. These tools will be a valuable asset for the larger scientific community working on Lepidopterans (butterflies and moths). Lepidopterans are still an understudied insect group despite their great positive (e.g., silkworms) and negative (e.g., many agricultural pests) economic impacts.