The Evolution Of Structural Color In Butterfly Wing Scales

蝴蝶翅膀鳞片结构颜色的演变

• 批准号: 0957680
• 负责人: Hui Cao
• 金额: $ 57.8万
• 依托单位: Yale University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-09-15 至 2014-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0957680&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Evolution; Structural; Color; Butterfly; Wing

In this project the PIs will study wing colors in butterflies. The brilliant colors found on the wings of butterflies have attracted attention from biologists and physicists alike. Many of these colors are due to light interacting with the nano-structures on the surface of the wing scales. In particular the aim of this project is to focus on a group of closely related species that have remarkably different colors, and have a known evolutionary history. This will allow the PIs to examine the smallest amounts of morphological change in a scale's structure that can produce a change in color. The PIs will combine descriptive and theoretical approaches coupled to experimental methods to fully understand how structural colors are produced in this group of butterflies. They will pursue two main approaches: The first approach will involve a comparison of wing scale color and associated morphology across the butterfly genus Bicyclus. The second approach will target a change in scale color using artificial selection in replicate lines of Bicyclus anynana butterflies, and describe the associated morphological changes in the nano-structure of the scales. The PIs will train graduate and undergraduate students, many of them women, as well as actively participating in a variety of outreach activities that are aimed at the broader public. One of the PIs will participate in established Yale education outreach programs to local high schools and middle schools. The PIs will also produce an interactive web-based animation showing how diverse structural colors evolved in a close group of butterflies, and disseminate the results from their findings broadly.

在这个项目中，PI将研究蝴蝶的翅膀颜色。蝴蝶翅膀上的鲜艳颜色吸引了生物学家和物理学家的注意。这些颜色中的许多是由于光线与机翼鳞片表面的纳米结构相互作用所致。特别是，这个项目的目标是关注一组密切相关的物种，这些物种具有显著不同的颜色，并具有已知的进化史。这将允许PI检查标尺结构中可能产生颜色变化的最小数量的形态变化。PI将结合描述性方法和理论方法，再加上实验方法，以充分了解这群蝴蝶是如何产生结构颜色的。他们将采用两种主要的方法：第一种方法将比较两种蝴蝶属的翅膀鳞片、颜色和相关的形态。第二种方法将利用人工选择在复制系中改变鳞片颜色，并描述鳞片纳米结构中相关的形态变化。私人投资机构将培训研究生和本科生，其中许多是妇女，并积极参加各种针对更广泛公众的外联活动。其中一名PI将参加耶鲁大学针对当地高中和中学的既定教育推广计划。PI还将制作一个基于网络的互动动画，展示一群蝴蝶如何进化出不同的结构颜色，并广泛传播他们的发现结果。