L5: UNRAVELING THE EVOLUTIONARY TAPESTRY OF BUTTERFLIES

Butterflies

They play a crucial role in the ecosystem as a major pollinator of diverse terrestrial ecosystems, serving various and essential ecological functions, and are regarded as bioindicators of climate and habitat

Major Pollinator

Crucial role of butterflies

Bioindicators

Butterflies serves as

Day-flying Moths

Butterflies are merely

• Clubbed

• Usually Colorful

• Smooth and Lean

• Active during the day

Butterfly Characteristics

• Comb-like or feather-shaped

• Tend to be dull

• Stockier and furry bodies

• Active during the night

Moth Characteristics

Phylogeny

Representation of the evolutionary history and relationships between groupings of species

Common or Divergent Morphological and Genetic Traits

The findings of phylogeny are visualized in a phylogenetic tree, which depicts relationships based on

Phylogenetic Trees

May be used to investigate the sequence and timing of origination of particular features of organisms, as well as the distributions of those features among different groups of species

Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA)

The ancestor of all living things that emerged around 3.8 billion years ago

LUCA

• It is not the very first life form to ever exist, but rather the single lineage from which all bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes (plants, animals, fungi, and humans) eventually descended.

• It was likely an anaerobic (oxygen-independent) and autotrophic microbe that lived around deep-sea hydrothermal vents, feeding on hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen.

Importance of Understanding Phylogeny (6)

• Organizing biodiversity

• Understanding biology and natural history of species

• Evidence of evolution

• Determine potential roots of infections and diseases

• Prioritize species that need protection and have potential for conservation

• Evaluating the potential of invasive species

Evolutionary History and Butterfly Diversification

Despite being the most research insect group, butterflies’ ____ and drivers of _____ are still poorly understood

Butterfly Net

Group project researching butterfly ecology and evolution

• Taxon sampling and sequence acquisition

• Phylogenetic analysis and dating

• Larval host plant analyses

Three components studied by the butterfly net group project

391 genes

Number of genes sampled from the butterflies

2, 300 butterfly species

Number of butterflies with genes sampled

92% of all genera

The new phylogenetic tree of butterflies represents

Somewhere in western North America

Butterflies first appearance

• Much closer

• 100 million years ago

The world’s continents were ___ when butterflies originated ___

Bioregion Shading

Indicates the number of butterfly lineages that were associated with that bioregion during that time period

Fabaceae

Butterflies are likely to have first fed on this

• Biodiversity assessment

• Habitat monitoring

Two important things considered for studying understudied organisms