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Evolution of a mimicry supergene from a multilocus architecture - PubMed

️Sun Jan 01 2012

Evolution of a mimicry supergene from a multilocus architecture

Robert T Jones et al. Proc Biol Sci. 2012.

Abstract

The origin and evolution of supergenes have long fascinated evolutionary biologists. In the polymorphic butterfly Heliconius numata, a supergene controls the switch between multiple different forms, and results in near-perfect mimicry of model species. Here, we use a morphometric analysis to quantify the variation in wing pattern observed in two broods of H. numata with different alleles at the supergene locus, 'P'. Further, we genotype the broods to associate the variation we capture with genetic differences. This allows us to begin mapping the quantitative trait loci that have minor effects on wing pattern. In addition to finding loci on novel chromosomes, our data, to our knowledge, suggest for the first time that ancestral colour-pattern loci, known to have major effects in closely related species, may contribute to the wing patterns displayed by H. numata, despite the large transfer of effects to the supergene.

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Figures

**Figure 1.**
Wing pattern variation in *H. numata*. Dorsal forewing (left) and ventral hindwing (right) from female individuals used in the present study. Alleles at the P supergene are (a) P^silP^sil (brood 472 mother), (b) P^eleP^sil (brood 502 father, brood 472 father), (c) P^aurP^sil (brood 502 mother) and (d) P^aurP^ele; (d) also shows the distribution of primary (black) and secondary (white) points used in the image analysis. (e) *Heliconius* forewing and hindwing anatomy (DC = discal cell).

**Figure 2.**
(a) Distribution of pattern variation in PCs 1 and 2. P^silP^sil individuals (diamond) were given low scores by AAMToolbox in PC1, separating them in morphospace (left arrow) from P^aurP^sil (cross), P^eleP^sil (triangle) and P^aurP^ele (circle) individuals. PC2 separated P^aurP^sil wings (vertical arrow). (b,c) Pattern variation identified in PC1: male P^silP^sil has no hindmarginal black bar and no cubital spot. Arrows show extension of subapical spots and migration of yellow median band towards P^aurP^ele phenotype. (c) Male P^aurP^ele is dark orange with extensive melanization in basal and discal regions, defining the hindmarginal bar (h) and cubital spot (c) (s = subapical spot, d = dagger). (d) Size of effects of LGs contributing to variation in B502 whole-brood analysis: forewings (light grey) and hindwings (dark grey). Asterisk indicates LG with known colour-pattern locus.

**Figure 3.**
Variation captured in PC1-4, B502 whole-brood analysis of forewings (left) and hindwings (right). Images are aligned with lowest scores in the component to the left; highest to the right; means in centre. Images reconstructed by AAMToolbox.

**Figure 4.**
Mapping of wing pattern QTL using male-informative markers. (a) Mapping in LG15. p-values are shown from GLM of B472 forewing analysis, PC1. (b) Mapping in LG18, with p-values from B472 hindwing analysis, PC2. Distance between *RpS30* and *MRSP* is 2.9 cM in *H. numata*. No polymorphism detected at *Ci. p =* 0.018 for female-informative segregation. (c) Location of B and D on LG18 of *H. melpomene* [20]. (d) Mapping in LG01 using B502 forewing analysis, PC9. p = 0.017 for female-informative segregation. (e) Mapping in LG10 using B502 forewing analysis, PC4. p < 0.001 for female-informative segregation. Possible positions of QTL are indicated by the PC to which they associate.

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Evolution of a mimicry supergene from a multilocus architecture - PubMed