Association mapping of colour variation in a butterfly provides evidence that a supergene locks together a cluster of adaptive loci.

ABSTRACT: Supergenes are genetic architectures associated with discrete and concerted variation in multiple traits. It has long been suggested that supergenes control these complex polymorphisms by suppressing recombination between sets of coadapted genes. However, because recombination suppression hinders the dissociation of the individual effects of genes within supergenes, there is still little evidence that supergenes evolve by tightening linkage between coadapted genes. Here, combining a landmark-free phenotyping algorithm with multivariate genome-wide association studies, we dissected the genetic basis of wing pattern variation in the butterfly Heliconius numata. We show that the supergene controlling the striking wing pattern polymorphism displayed by this species contains several inde

SUBMITTER: Jay P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9189503 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature