Selection on male sex pheromone composition contributes to butterfly reproductive isolation.
Selection can facilitate diversification by inducing character displacement in mate choice traits that reduce the probability of maladaptive mating between lineages. Although reproductive character displacement (RCD) has been demonstrated in two-taxa case studies, the frequency of this process in nature is still debated. Moreover, studies have focused primarily on visual and acoustic traits, despite the fact that chemical communication is probably the most common means of species recognition. Here, we showed in a large, mostly sympatric, butterfly genus, a strong pattern of recurrent RCD for predicted male sex pheromone composition, but not for visual mate choice traits. Our results suggest that RCD is not anecdotal, and that selection for divergence in male sex pheromone composition contributed to reproductive isolation within the Bicyclus genus. We propose that selection may target olfactory mate choice traits as a more common sensory modality to ensure reproductive isolation among diverging lineages than previously envisaged.
Evolutionary Ecology and Genetics Group, Biodiversity Research Centre, Earth and Life Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Croix du Sud 4-5, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
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Bacquet
Department of Zoology, University Museum of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK.
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0000-0002-2266-0304
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Brattström
Department of Biology, Pheromone Group, Lund University, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden.
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0000-0002-1483-5135
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Wang
Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA.
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Allen
Department of Biology, Pheromone Group, Lund University, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden.
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Löfstedt
Department of Zoology, University Museum of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK.
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Brakefield
Evolutionary Ecology and Genetics Group, Biodiversity Research Centre, Earth and Life Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Croix du Sud 4-5, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium caroline.nieberding@uclouvain.be.
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Nieberding
D000349:Africa; D000818:Animals; D002080:Butterflies / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D060047:Reproductive Isolation; D012724:Sex Attractants / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D061350:Sympatry
D019476:Insect Proteins; D012724:Sex Attractants
chemical communication; comparative analysis; rapid evolution; sexual signal; species recognition