Collaborative Proposal: Genomics across the speciation continuum in Heliconius butterflies

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Discovering how genomes change as populations diverge is essential to understanding how species arise. When populations begin to diverge most of their genomes will often remain very similar, except for those regions that are responsible for adaptive differences between the populations. As populations become increasingly isolated from each other during the speciation process, their genomes also become increasingly different from each other, particularly at regions that underlie adaptive or reproductive differences between the populations. Yet researchers know little about how, why, and where differences actually accumulate across the genome. This collaborative project will leverage recent advances in genome sequencing technology and the frequent hybridization between divergent races and species of Heliconius butterflies to assemble a moving picture of how genomes change over time and test specific hypotheses about what causes genomes to change in certain ways.This project will provide one of the most comprehensive examinations of the genomic consequences of speciation. With this knowledge, researchers will begin to understand the type of genetic changes that lead to the origin of new species. The use of cutting edge genome sequencing technology, along with the expertise of the collaborative research team, will lead to the development of new analytical tools and methods that will be broadly useful to scientific community. Training and outreach workshops will provide unique opportunities for students, teachers, and researchers to gain hands-on experience in how genomics can be used to study the amazing diversity found in nature.