Meeting Abstract
The vast array of natural variation that we see around us has been generated through a combination of genetic and environmental influences. Traits that are environmentally induced within species, but are genetically different between species provide a framework for identifying the developmental pathways that drive the evolutionary process. Butterfly wing patterns provide an amenable evolutionary model to study these genetic and environmental interactions. The Dogface butterfly, Zerene cesonia, is a seasonally polyphenetic butterfly that varies in both pigment and structural coloration. The seasonal forms are comprised of an Ultraviolet reflecting yellow Summer morph and an Ultraviolet lacking pink Winter morph. These within-species morph differences are also very similar to color differences between Z. cesonia and its sister species the California Dogface, Zerene eurydice. Given the segregation of these colors both within and between species, these two colors may be jointly controlled by the same developmental pathways. If these colors are jointly controlled then we expect to see a shared environmental trigger leading to a shared developmental response. To test this we have 1.) Investigated the environmental triggers responsible for both colors, 2.) Quantified UV changes in shape and brightness, and 3.) Identified the developmental causes of pink coloration. Overall this work suggests that there may be a shared environmental and developmental mechanism between a pigment and structural color in the Southern Dogface Butterfly.
