title: Differentiation in putative male sex pheromone components across and within populations of the African butterfly Bicyclus anynana as a potential driver of reproductive isolation.
abstract: Sexual traits are often the most divergent characters among closely related species, suggesting an important role of sexual traits in speciation. However, to prove this, we need to show that sexual trait differences accumulate before or during the speciation process, rather than being a consequence of it. Here, we contrast patterns of divergence among putative male sex pheromone (pMSP) composition and the genetic structure inferred from variation in the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 and nuclear CAD loci in the African butterfly Bicyclus anynana (Butler, 1879) to determine whether the evolution of "pheromonal dialects" occurs before or after the differentiation process. We observed differences in abundance of some shared pMSP components as well as differences in the composition of the pMSP among B. anynana populations. In addition, B. anynana individuals from Kenya displayed differences in the pMSP composition within a single population that appeared not associated with genetic differences. These differences in pMSP composition both between and within B. anynana populations were as large as those found between different Bicyclus species. Our results suggest that "pheromonal dialects" evolved within and among populations of B. anynana and may therefore act as precursors of an ongoing speciation process.
authors.affiliation: 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.
authors.forename: Paul M B
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Bacquet
authors.affiliation: Biological Sciences University of Bristol Woodland Road Bristol BS8 1UG UK.
authors.forename: Maaike A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: de Jong
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology University Museum of Zoology University of Cambridge Downing Street Cambridge CB2 3EJ UK.
authors.forename: Oskar
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2266-0304
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Brattström
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology Pheromone Group Lund University SE-223 62 Lund Sweden.
authors.forename: Hong-Lei
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram Vanasiri Evolutionary Ecology Lab College of Engineering Trivandrum Campus Trivandrum 695016 Kerala India.
authors.forename: Freerk
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Molleman
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry Department of AgroBioChem Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech University of Liege Passage des Déportés 2 B-5030 Gembloux Belgium.
authors.forename: Stéphanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Heuskin
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry Department of AgroBioChem Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech University of Liege Passage des Déportés 2 B-5030 Gembloux Belgium.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lognay
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology Pheromone Group Lund University SE-223 62 Lund Sweden.
authors.forename: Christer
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Löfstedt
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology University Museum of Zoology University of Cambridge Downing Street Cambridge CB2 3EJ UK.
authors.forename: Paul M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Brakefield
authors.affiliation: Biologie de l'évolution et de la conservation University of Liège B22 Sart Tilman B-4000 Liège Belgium.
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vanderpoorten
authors.affiliation: 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.
authors.forename: Caroline M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Nieberding
keywords: Lepidoptera; male sex pheromone; mitochondrial introgression; population divergence; reproductive isolation; speciation