Gene expression is central to the genotype-phenotype relationship in all organisms, and it is
an important component of the genetic basis for evolutionary change in diverse aspects of …

Evolutionary developmental biology (evo–devo) explores the mechanistic relationships
between the processes of individual development and phenotypic change during evolution …

Butterfly eyespots are beautiful novel traits with an unknown developmental origin. Here we
show that eyespots likely originated via cooption of parts of an ancestral appendage gene …

▪ Abstract Co-option occurs when natural selection finds new uses for existing traits,
including genes, organs, and other body structures. Genes can be co-opted to generate …

Insect pigmentation is a premier model system in evolutionary and developmental biology. It
has been at the heart of classical studies as well as recent breakthroughs. In insects …

Understanding how the spectacular diversity of colour patterns on butterfly wings is shaped
by natural selection, and how particular pattern elements are generated, has been the focus …

Evolutionary developmental biology has encouraged a change of research emphasis from
the sorting of phenotypic variation by natural selection to the production of that variation …

Developmental bias, or genetic channeling, can influence the tempo and direction of
evolution and, thus, become reflected in patterns of biodiversity. Twenty years ago, this …

The structural colours of butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) have been attributed to a
diversity of physical mechanisms, including multilayer interference, diffraction, Bragg …

Eyespots are found in a variety of animals, in particular lepidopterans. The role of eyespots
as antipredator mechanisms has been discussed since the 19th Century, with two main …