Convergent Molecular Evolution Associated With Repeated Transitions to Gregarious Larval Behavior in Heliconiini.

ABSTRACT: Collective behavior forms the basis for many antipredator strategies. Within Lepidoptera, larval gregariousness has evolved convergently across many phylogenetically disparate lineages. While the selection pressures shaping variation in larval social behaviors are well investigated, much less is known about the mechanisms that control social attraction and behavioral coordination. Similarly, little is known about how secondary selection pressures associated with social living shape genome evolution. Here, using genomic data for over 60 species from an adaptive radiation of Neotropical butterflies, the Heliconiini, in which gregarious behavior has evolved repeatedly, we explore the molecular basis of repeated convergent shifts toward gregarious larvae. We focus on three main areas of genomi

SUBMITTER: Cicconardi F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12342998 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature