Uncertainty remains regarding the role of anthropogenic climate change in declining insect populations, partly because our understanding biotic response to is often complicated by habitat loss and degradation among other compounding stressors. We addressed this challenge integrating expert community scientist datasets that include decades monitoring across more than 70 locations spanning western United States. found a 1.6% annual reduction number individual butterflies observed over past...

Many organisms use warning, or aposematic, coloration to signal their unprofitability potential predators. Aposematically colored prey are highly visually conspicuous. There is considerable empirical support that conspicuousness promotes the effectiveness of aposematic signal. From these experiments, it well documented conspicuous, unprofitable detected sooner and aversion learned faster by predator as compared with cryptic, prey. Predators also retain memory longer when The present study...

Some eyespots are thought to deflect attack away from the vulnerable body, yet there is limited empirical evidence for this function and its adaptive advantage. Here, we demonstrate conspicuous ventral hindwing found on Bicyclus anynana butterflies protect against invertebrate predators, specifically praying mantids. Wet season (WS) with larger, brighter were easier mantids detect, but more difficult capture compared dry (DS) small, dull eyespots. Mantids attacked wing of WS frequently...

Current explanations for why sexual ornaments are found in both sexes include genetic correlation, same sex competition, and mutual mate choice. In this study, we report developmental plasticity mating behavior as induced by temperature during development the butterfly Bicyclus anynana. Males females reciprocally change their roles depending on larval rearing temperatures. This switch is correlated with a benefits to costs males. The discrete seasonal environments, wet season dry season,...

Data collection, storage, analysis, visualization, and dissemination are changing rapidly due to advances in new technologies driven by computer science universal access the internet. These web connections place human observers front center citizen science-driven research critical generating discoveries innovation such fields as astronomy, biodiversity, meteorology. Research projects utilizing a approach address scientific problems at regional, continental, even global scales otherwise...

Abstract: Recent ecological studies suggest that the landscape context of native habitat remnants may significantly influence plant and animal abundance distribution within those remnants. Other research has revealed a weak link between community composition. To understand relative importance local regional characteristics for grassland butterflies, we assessed butterfly diversity in four types habitats surrounded by varying amounts urban development near Boulder, Colorado ( U.S.A.). We...

Bodies are often made of repeated units, or serial homologs, that develop using the same core gene regulatory network. Local inputs and modifications to this network allow homologs evolve different morphologies, but currently we do not understand which these traits levels phenotypic plasticity. Here describe variation in plasticity across homologous eyespots butterfly Bicyclus anynana, hypothesized be under selection for similar functions wet dry seasonal forms. Specifically, document...

Butterflies and primates are interesting for comparative color vision studies, because both have evolved middle- (M) long-wavelength- (L) sensitive photopigments with overlapping absorbance spectrum maxima (lambda(max) values). Although positive selection is important the maintenance of spectral variation within primate pigments, it remains an open question whether contributes similarly to diversification butterfly pigments. To examine this issue, we performed epimicrospectrophotometry on...

Aposematic coloration, or warning is a visual signal that acts to minimize contact between predator and unprofitable prey. The conditions favoring the evolution of aposematic coloration remain largely unidentified. Recent work suggests diet specialization resultant toxicity may play role in facilitating persistence coloration. Using phylogenetic approach, we investigated larval genus Papilio (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae). Our results indicate there are at least four independent origins within...

Batesian mimics gain protection from predation through the evolution of physical similarities to a model species that possesses anti-predator defences. This should not be effective in absence since predator does identify mimic as potentially dangerous and both are highly conspicuous. Thus, probably encounter strong pressure outside geographical range species. There several documented examples occurring locations without their models, but evolutionary responses remain largely unidentified. A...

In contrast to the important role of hormones in development sexual traits vertebrates (Cox RM, Stenquist DS, Calsbeek R. 2009. Testosterone, growth and evolution size dimorphism. J Evol Biol. 22(8):1586-1598.), differentiation these insects is attributed almost exclusively cell-autonomous mechanisms controlled by members sex determination pathway (Verhulst EC, van de Zande L. 2015. Double nexus - doublesex connecting element determination. Brief Funct Genomics 14(6):396-406.), such as...

By 2030, ten percent of earth’s landmass will be occupied by cities. Urban environments can home to many plants and animals, but surveying estimating biodiversity in these spaces is complicated a heterogeneous built environment where access landscaping are highly variable due human activity. Citizen science approaches may the best way assess urban biodiversity, little known about their relative effectiveness efficiency. Here, we compare three techniques for acquiring data on butterfly...

The myriad colors and patterns on butterfly wings have caught the attention of biologists for well over a century. Today, with advent more sophisticated genetic developmental tools, it is possible to identify study evolution genes, gene networks, effect environment networks underlying wing color patterning. In addition, using molecular phylogenies comparative approach, infer ancestral patterns, direction evolutionary change, occurrence parallelism convergence. Finally, driving forces behind...

Urban areas are proliferating quickly around the globe often with detrimental impacts on biodiversity. Insects, especially pollinators, have also seen record declines in recent decades, sometimes associated land use change such as urbanization, but climate changes increased aridity. How these various factors play out attracting and sustaining species richness a complex urban matrix is poorly understood. botanical gardens may serve important refugia for insect pollinators arid regions due to...

Abstract Although much is known about the ecological significance of metamorphosis and metamorphic timing, few studies have examined underlying genetic architecture these traits, no study has attempted to associate phenotypic variation molecular in specific genes. Here we report on a candidate gene approach (CGA) test loci for statistical contribution timing. Three segregating populations (SP1, SP2 SP3) were constructed utilizing three species paedomorphic Mexican ambystomatid salamander,...

Mimics should not exist without their models, yet often they do. In the system involving queen and viceroy butterflies, is both mimic co-model depending on local abundance of model, queen. Here, we integrate population surveys, chemical analyses, predator behavior assays to demonstrate how mimics may persist in locations with low-model abundance. As becomes less locally abundant, more chemically defended unpalatable predators. However, observed changes defense palatability are attributable...

Seasonal polyphenism demonstrates an organism's ability to respond predictable environmental variation with alternative phenotypes, each presumably better suited its respective environment. However, the molecular mechanisms linking phenotypes via shifts in development remain relatively unknown. Here we investigate temporal gene expression seasonally polyphenic butterfly Bicyclus anynana. This species shows drastic changes eyespot size depending on temperature experienced during larval...

Abstract 1. A laboratory bioassay experiment was performed in order to investigate a long‐standing putative mimetic relationship between two butterflies, the Lorquin's admiral Limenitis lorquini and California sister Adelpha bredowii (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae). These butterfly species are commonly sympatric their broad distribution on west coast of United States. The wing colour pattern L. differs from patterns exhibited by its North American congeners, resembling A. instead. 2. feeding...

Monarch butterflies ( Danaus plexippus, Linnaeus, 1758) are comprised of two migratory populations separated by the Rocky Mountains and renowned for their long-distance movements among United States, Canada, Mexico. Both have declined over several decades across North America prompting all three countries to evaluate conservation efforts. Monitoring monarch distribution abundance is a necessary aspect ongoing management in Canada where they species at risk. We used presence-only data from...

Species distributions, abundance, and interactions have always been influenced by human activity are currently experiencing rapid change. Biodiversity benchmark surveys traditionally require intense labor inputs to find, identify, record organisms limiting the rate impact of scientific enquiry discovery. Recent emergence advancement monitoring technologies improved biodiversity data collection a scale scope previously unimaginable. Community science web platforms, smartphone applications,...