Evolutionary dynamics of genome size and content during the adaptive radiation of Heliconiini butterflies

• DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2203028/v1
• Publication Date: 2022-11-04T22:51:06Z
• Authors: Francesco Cicconardi; Edoardo Milanetti; Érika de Castro; Anyimilehidi Mazo...; Steven Van Belleghem; Angelo Ruggieri; Pasi Rastas; Joseph Hanly; Elizabeth Evans; Chris Jiggins; W. Owen McMillan; Riccardo Papa; Daniele di Marino; Arnaud Martin; Stephen Montgomery
• Keywords: Adaptive Radiation; Genome size; Introgression

Abstract Heliconius butterflies, a speciose genus of Müllerian mimics, represent classic example an adaptive radiation involving range derived dietary, life history, physiological and neural traits. However, key lineages within the genus, across broader Heliconiini tribe, lack genomic resources, contrasting our understanding how neutral processes shaped genome evolution their radiation. Here, we build new, highly contiguous assemblies for nine new Heliconiini, reference-assembled genomes 29 species, improve 10 existing assemblies, to provide major dataset annotated 63 including 58 species tribe. We robust, dated heliconiine phylogeny, identify patterns introgression, explore size, content, basis innovations in this enigmatic group first time. illustrate dense sampling improves resolution gene-phenotype links, evolve.