News / Science News

    Study reveals surprising amount of gene flow among butterfly species

    Scientists know that shared parts of DNA create color patterns in some passion vine butterflies. The patterns help the butterflies ward off predators.



    Many butterfly species show a high amount of gene flow between them. Pictured, Heliconius telesiphe. Photo: Andrew Neild


    Now a new study in Science provides evidence that the process of sharing DNA may be far more common than thought, offering a potential clue to how biodiversity unfolded.

    An analysis of 20 butterfly genomes found evidence that many butterfly species -- including distantly related ones -- show a surprisingly high amount of gene flow among them, said James Mallet of Harvard University, the senior author of the study.

    For Mallet and colleagues, understanding how butterflies pass genes back and forth -- a process known as introgression -- began with the creation of 20 new "genome assemblies" of various species.

    The assemblies essentially function as genomic maps, and are constructed by sequencing short fragments of DNA, then assembling them in the proper order.

    "DNA sharing had been shown in closely related species, but we wanted to probe deeper into the phylogenetic tree," Mallet said. "What we found is astonishing: introgression even among species that are distantly related. 'Species' are simply not what we thought they were, and now we have the data to show that."

    The evolutionary tree of butterflies is a complete morass of interconnectedness, he said. (National Science Foundation)

    NOVEMBER 7, 2019



    YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

    Researchers suggest that you can reduce the risk of early death no matter how many hours you clock up a week or how fast you run.
    Dangers to ancient Antarctic ice portend a future of rapidly rising seas, but a new study may relieve one nagging fear. Meltwater ponds fracturing the ice below them may not cause protracted chain reactions that unexpectedly collapse floating ice shelves.
    USDA Red, the world's first true red spinach variety has been developed and released by the Agricultural Research Service.
    Scientists from the University of Granada have used magnetic materials in “smart” asphalts that modify their properties in the presence of external magnetic fields.
    Antarctica's ice sheet spans close to twice the area of the contiguous United States. Its land boundary is buttressed by massive, floating ice shelves extending hundreds of miles out over the frigid waters of the Southern Ocean.
    Scientists from the University of Granada, the IGME, and the Universities of Cologne and Lisbon have demonstrated that the careo irrigation channels of Sierra Nevada constitute the oldest underground aquifer recharge system on the continent.

    © 1991-2023 The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin | Titi Tudorancea® is a Registered Trademark | Terms of use and privacy policy
    Contact