Butterfly Diversity and Evolution Lab
This lab studies butterfly diversity patterns in time and space, as well as their evolutionary causes. Its end goal is to answer longstanding questions regarding the limits between species, chromosomal evolution and the link between phylogeography and ecology. When did a group of butterflies colonise the New World and what route did they follow? How did parasitism evolve from a friendly association between species? Are there species that we cannot visually distinguish? Can a butterfly cross the Sahara desert? These are a few examples of the questions addressed by the Butterfly Diversity & Evolution lab.
Lab website: Butterfly Diversity & Evolution Lab
Talavera G, Vila R. 2011. What is the phylogenetic signal limit from mitogenomes? the reconciliation between mitochondrial and nuclear data in the Insecta class phylogeny. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 11(1):1-15. DOI:10.1186/1471-2148-11-315
Lukhtanov VA, Dinc V, Talavera G, Vila R. 2011. Unprecedented within-species chromosome number cline in the Wood White butterfly Leptidea sinapis and its significance for karyotype evolution and speciation. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 11(1). DOI:10.1186/1471-2148-11-109
Hernández-Roldán JL, Múrria C, Romo H, Talavera G, Zakharov E, Hebert PDN, Vila R. 2011. Tracing the origin of disjunct distributions: A case of biogeographical convergence in Pyrgus butterflies. Journal of Biogeography. 2011;38(10):2006-2020. DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2699.2011.02547.x
Dincă V, Zakharov E V., Hebert PDN, Vila R. 2011. Complete DNA barcode reference library for a country’s butterfly fauna reveals high performance for temperate Europe. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 278(1704):347-355. DOI:10.1098/rspb.2010.1089
Dincǎ V, Lukhtanov VA, Talavera G, Vila R. 2011. Unexpected layers of cryptic diversity in wood white Leptidea butterflies. Nature Communications, 2(1). DOI:10.1038/ncomms1329
Dincǎ V, Dapporto L, Vila R. 2011. A combined genetic-morphometric analysis unravels the complex biogeographical history of Polyommatus icarus and Polyommatus celina common blue butterflies. Molecular Ecology, 20(18):3921-3935. DOI:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2011.05223.x
Dapporto L, Schmitt T, Vila R, Scalercio S, Biermann H, Dincǎ V, Gayubo SF, González JA, Lo Cascio P, Dennis RLH. 2011. Phylogenetic island disequilibrium: Evidence for ongoing long-term population dynamics in two Mediterranean butterflies. Journal of Biogeography, 38(5):854-867. DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2699.2010.02452.x