title: The diversification of Heliconius butterflies: what have we learned in 150 years?
abstract: Research into Heliconius butterflies has made a significant contribution to evolutionary biology. Here, we review our understanding of the diversification of these butterflies, covering recent advances and a vast foundation of earlier work. Whereas no single group of organisms can be sufficient for understanding life's diversity, after years of intensive study, research into Heliconius has addressed a wide variety of evolutionary questions. We first discuss evidence for widespread gene flow between Heliconius species and what this reveals about the nature of species. We then address the evolution and diversity of warning patterns, both as the target of selection and with respect to their underlying genetic basis. The identification of major genes involved in mimetic shifts, and homology at these loci between distantly related taxa, has revealed a surprising predictability in the genetic basis of evolution. In the final sections, we consider the evolution of warning patterns, and Heliconius diversity more generally, within a broader context of ecological and sexual selection. We consider how different traits and modes of selection can interact and influence the evolution of reproductive isolation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.|Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Merrill
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of York, York, UK.
authors.forename: K K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Dasmahapatra
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Davey
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: D D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Dell'Aglio
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Hanly
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of York, York, UK.|Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité, ISYEB - UMR 7205 - CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, EPHE, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, Paris, France.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Huber
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.|Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama.
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Jiggins
authors.affiliation: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama.|Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité, ISYEB - UMR 7205 - CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, EPHE, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, Paris, France.|Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CEFE UMR 5175, CNRS - Université de Montpellier - Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier - EPHE, Montpellier 5, France.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Joron
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Kozak
authors.affiliation: Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité, ISYEB - UMR 7205 - CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, EPHE, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, Paris, France.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Llaurens
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Montgomery
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of York, York, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.|Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Nadeau
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Pinharanda
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of York, York, UK.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rosser
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.|Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vanjari
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: R W R
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Wallbank
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.|School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Shapingba District, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002080:Butterflies / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D051456:Gene Flow; D060047:Reproductive Isolation; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D014921:Wings, Animal
keywords: Nymphalidae; adaptation; ecological genomics; gene flow; magic traits; mimicry; porous species; reproductive isolation; sensory ecology; speciation