Multiple Loci Control Eyespot Number Variation on the Hindwings of Bicyclus anynana Butterflies.

ABSTRACT: The underlying genetic changes that regulate the appearance and disappearance of repeated traits, or serial homologs, remain poorly understood. One hypothesis is that variation in genomic regions flanking master regulatory genes, also known as input-output genes, controls variation in trait number, making the locus of evolution almost predictable. Another hypothesis implicates genetic variation in up- or downstream loci of master control genes. Here, we use the butterfly Bicyclus anynana, a species that exhibits natural variation in eyespot number on the dorsal hindwing, to test these two hypotheses. We first estimated the heritability of dorsal hindwing eyespot number by breeding multiple butterfly families differing in eyespot number and regressing eyespot numbers of offspring on

SUBMITTER: Rivera-Colon AG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7153931 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature