We are happy to present this year's keynote speakers below!
(order alphabetically by first name)
Antonia Monteiro
https://lepdata.org/monteiro/research/
Lepidopteran eyespots have evolved multiple times independently on the wings of butterflies and moths perhaps due to their successful predator attack diverting role. Within nymphalid butterflies, eyespots have a single origin and are homologous. The nymphalid eyespot gene-regulatory network (GRN) appears to be derived from a partial co-option of the appendage GRN due to shared genes and shared cis-regulatory elements of genes within the network. This eyespot GRN, which was initially activated on the ventral hindwing, became activated on the dorsal surface of both wings, many millions of years later. Experiments in one species indicate that the activation or silencing of the network in different wing sectors and surfaces is due to the regulatory action of selector genes such as Hox and Tbox genes.
Charlotte Wright
https://www.sanger.ac.uk/person/wright-charlotte/
Chromosome rearrangements, such as fusions and fissions, are a ubiquitous feature of eukaryotic genome evolution. However, our understanding of the evolutionary forces that shape rates of chromosome rearrangements and the effect of chromosome rearrangements on processes such as speciation and adaptation remains in its infancy. Polyommatina is a young subtribe of blue butterflies that evolved 23 million years ago and is characterised by two modes of chromosome evolution: extreme stability in chromosome number in the majority, with rapid chromosome number change in some clades of species. Combined with the high diversification rates of species in this group, Polyommatina is an ideal group to understand the forces that modulate chromosome rearrangements and their consequences on diversification. Chromosome-level genomes for 27 species of Polyommatina reveal a complex history of chromosome rearrangement in genus Lysandra and Polyommatus subgenera Agrodiaetus and Plebicula. Parallels between the histories of fission in each group are found. This work deepens our understanding of chromosome fission, a fundamental process that shapes the evolution of genome structure across the diversity of eukaryotes.
Joanna Meier
https://www.sanger.ac.uk/group/meier-group/
Drivers of rapid diversification in ithomiini butterflies
Ithomiini butterflies, a tribe of Neotropical butterflies, are an ideal study system for drivers of rapid diversification. Some ithomiini lineages have diversified exceptionally fast, while others have done so at a much slower pace. By comparing their genetic basis of relevant traits, rates of hybridisation, chromosomal rearrangements and other factors, my group aims to elucidate the factors underlying variation in diversification rates. We find important roles of hybridisation contributing beneficial genetic variants and chromosomal rearrangements strengthening reproductive isolation. Complex rearrangements involving multiple chromosomes, often including sex chromosomes, seem to play particularly important roles in speciation.
Kay Lucek
https://biodiversity-genomics.ch/index.php/people/
Diversification in Alpine butterflies: from macroevolutionary patterns to microevolutionary processes
The order of Lepidoptera represents one of the most diverse branches of the Tree of Life. However, the evolutionary drivers of this unique diversity are far from being understood. A potentially overlooked mechanism lies in the structure of the genome itself as Lepidoptera have so-called holocentric chromosomes that lack single centromeres. A consequence of holocentricity may be an increased potential for genomic rearrangements such as chromosomal fusions and fissions. I will present the astonishing diversity of chromosomal rearrangements and explore their potential role for species diversification, ranging from macroevolutionary patterns to microevolutionary processes. I will discuss different potential mechanisms that could underlie chromosomal rearrangements, including differences in the repeat landscape and epigenomic shifts. The focal species are Erebia butterflies, a highly diverse group of primarily cold-adapted butterflies. Erebia sibling species are also often strongly diverged and form very narrow zones of secondary contact, allowing to further study additional barriers to gene flow at a late stage of speciation. But what could they be?
