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A major goal of research in my lab is to characterize the casual genetic variants responsible for examples of adaptive mimetic diversity in butterflies. \u00a0Previous work highlighted the important role of the canonical patterning gene, WntA, in determining mimetic color pattern variation between hybridizing populations of North American admiral butterflies (genus Limenitis<\/em>) and among different mimetic color pattern races of Neotropical butterflies in the genus Heliconius. \u00a0<\/em>In collaboration with the Kronforst Lab at University of Chicago, I’ve also contributed to work demonstrated that differential expression of doublesex<\/em> alleles is responsible for mimetic polymorphism in Asian swallowtail butterflies (Papilio polytes<\/em>). More recent\u00a0work is focused on understanding the structure, function, and evolution of cis-regulatory elements underlying color pattern diversity over macroevolutionary timescales in the genus Adelpha<\/em>.<\/p>\n A second major area of interest in the lab explores the relationship between mimicry, convergent evolution, and species richness in a dramatic adaptive radiation of Neotropical\u00a0Adelpha<\/em>. \u00a0This genus\u00a0displays a classic latitudinal gradient in species richness, peaking in species diversity on the eastern slope of the eastern Andes, where as many as 35-40 species can co-occur. \u00a0Convergent evolution is widespread in this group, and prior work in my lab has demonstrated that diversification rates in this system are closely associated with ecological divergence related to patterns of host plant use. \u00a0Ongoing work in this system is examining rates of molecular evolution for chemosensory genes thought to be responsible for major host-plant shits leading to accelerated diversification.<\/p>\n A third, and final, research focus is on the origin and maintenance of imperfect mimetic signals. \u00a0Many species of Adelpha<\/em> feed on toxic plants in the family Rubiaceae, and have long been hypothesized to serve as Batesian models for other Adelpha<\/em> species. \u00a0Field predation experiments support this hypothesis, and indicates that the fitness landscape of imperfect mimetic signals is shaped by frequency-dependent selection. \u00a0However it remains unclear why imperfect signals persist given the expectation that mutations improving the resemblance between the mimic and its model should be selectively favored. \u00a0Current work in the lab is investigate the potential role that\u00a0density-dependent factors have on mimetic signaling efficacy under a wide-range of field conditions.<\/p>\n Mimetic diversity in butterflies: A major goal of research in my lab is to characterize the casual genetic variants responsible for examples of adaptive mimetic diversity in butterflies. \u00a0Previous work highlighted the important role of the canonical patterning gene, WntA, in determining mimetic color pattern variation between hybridizing populations of North American admiral butterflies (genus […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18794,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/mullenlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/66"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/mullenlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/mullenlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/mullenlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18794"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/mullenlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66"}],"version-history":[{"count":27,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/mullenlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/66\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":183,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/mullenlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/66\/revisions\/183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/mullenlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"\/mullenlab\/files\/2021\/02\/image-636x495.png\")
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 ![\"\"](\"\/mullenlab\/files\/2021\/02\/image-6-636x503.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nMimicry and speciation:<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"\/mullenlab\/files\/2021\/02\/image-3-636x352.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nThe evolution of imperfect mimicry:<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"\/mullenlab\/files\/2021\/02\/16174635_10209568605944488_2430154195857185618_n.jpg\")
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0![\"\"](\"\/mullenlab\/files\/2021\/02\/image-4.jpeg\")
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