A major locus controls a biologically active pheromone component in Heliconius melpomene

dc.contributor.affiliationSmithsonian Tropical Research Institute - Byers, Kelsey
dc.contributor.affiliationSmithsonian Tropical Research Institute - Darragh, Kathy
dc.contributor.affiliationSmithsonian Tropical Research Institute - Musgrove, Jamie
dc.contributor.affiliationSmithsonian Tropical Research Institute - Abondano Almeida, Diana
dc.contributor.affiliationSmithsonian Tropical Research Institute - Fernanda Garza, Sylvia
dc.contributor.affiliationUniversity of Cambridge - Warren, Ian
dc.contributor.affiliationUniversity of Helsinki - Rastas, Pasi
dc.contributor.affiliationFriedrich Miescher Laboratory - Kučka, Marek
dc.contributor.affiliationFriedrich Miescher Laboratory - Chan, Yingguang Frank
dc.contributor.affiliationLudwig Maximilian University of Munich - Merrill, Richard
dc.contributor.affiliationTechnische Universität Braunschweig - Schulz, Stefan
dc.contributor.affiliationSmithsonian Tropical Research Institute - McMillan, W. Owen
dc.contributor.affiliationUniversity of Cambridge - Jiggins, Chris
dc.contributor.authorByers, Kelsey
dc.contributor.authorDarragh, Kathy
dc.contributor.authorMusgrove, Jamie
dc.contributor.authorAbondano Almeida, Diana
dc.contributor.authorFernanda Garza, Sylvia
dc.contributor.authorWarren, Ian
dc.contributor.authorRastas, Pasi
dc.contributor.authorKučka, Marek
dc.contributor.authorChan, Yingguang Frank
dc.contributor.authorMerrill, Richard
dc.contributor.authorSchulz, Stefan
dc.contributor.authorMcMillan, W. Owen
dc.contributor.authorJiggins, Chris
dc.date.accessioned2025-03-24T15:23:47Z
dc.date.issued2020-01-07
dc.date.issued2020-01-07
dc.descriptionUnderstanding the production, response, and genetics of signals used in mate choice can inform our understanding of the evolution of both intraspecific mate choice and reproductive isolation. Sex pheromones are important for courtship and mate choice in many insects, but we know relatively little of their role in butterflies. The butterfly Heliconius melpomene uses a complex blend of wing androconial compounds during courtship. Electroantennography in H. melpomene and its close relative H. cydno showed that responses to androconial extracts were not species-specific. Females of both species responded equally strongly to extracts of both species, suggesting conservation of peripheral nervous system elements across the two species. Individual blend components provoked little to no response, with the exception of octadecanal, a major component of the H. melpomene blend. Supplementing octadecanal on the wings of octadecanal-rich H. melpomene males led to an increase in the time until mating, demonstrating the bioactivity of octadecanal in Heliconius. Using quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping, we identified a single locus on chromosome 20 responsible for 41% of the parental species' difference in octadecanal production. This QTL does not overlap with any of the major wing color or mate choice loci, nor does it overlap with known regions of elevated or reduced FST. A set of 16 candidate fatty acid biosynthesis genes lies underneath the QTL. Pheromones in Heliconius carry information relevant for mate choice and are under simple genetic control, suggesting they could be important during speciation.
dc.identifierhttps://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.crjdfn31b
dc.identifier.urihttps://hydatakatalogi-test-24.it.helsinki.fi/handle/123456789/11355
dc.rightsOpen
dc.rights.licensecc-zero
dc.titleA major locus controls a biologically active pheromone component in Heliconius melpomene
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