Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Title: Evolution and development of butterfly wing patterns
Abstract: Both the need to find a mate that will accept you, and the need to escape predators, have been shaping the colors and patterns on the wings of butterflies for millions of years. The result of these, often antagonistic, selection pressures has been the evolution of distinct patterns on dorsal and ventral surfaces, on fore and hindwings, and in males and females. This optimization is thought to offer maximum protection from predators while still attracting the opposite sex. I will explain some of the genetic and developmental wizardry that butterflies use to achieve this result.
Profile: Prof Antónia Monteiro received her BSc from the University of Lisbon (1992) and her PhD from the University of Edinburgh (1997). She did postdoctoral work both at Harvard and Leiden Universities. She held faculty positions at the University at Buffalo, Yale University, and Yale-NUS College in Singapore. Currently she holds an endowed professorship in the Department of Biological Sciences at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Her research interests focus on the evolution of novel complex traits in organisms, with a special focus on the evolution and development of butterfly wing color patterns. More recently her lab is also studying how butterfly larvae learn new food odors and transmit learned preferences to the next generation.
Find out more about the TSVP on the program website: oist.jp/visiting-program
#OIST #OIST_TSVP #genetic #Butterflies #Biology #research #oist #oist_tsvp #Theoretical #Science #VisitingProgram #Okinawa #TSVP
Title: Evolution and development of butterfly wing patterns
Abstract: Both the need to find a mate that will accept you, and the need to escape predators, have been shaping the colors and patterns on the wings of butterflies for millions of years. The result of these, often antagonistic, selection pressures has been the evolution of distinct patterns on dorsal and ventral surfaces, on fore and hindwings, and in males and females. This optimization is thought to offer maximum protection from predators while still attracting the opposite sex. I will explain some of the genetic and developmental wizardry that butterflies use to achieve this result.
Profile: Prof Antónia Monteiro received her BSc from the University of Lisbon (1992) and her PhD from the University of Edinburgh (1997). She did postdoctoral work both at Harvard and Leiden Universities. She held faculty positions at the University at Buffalo, Yale University, and Yale-NUS College in Singapore. Currently she holds an endowed professorship in the Department of Biological Sciences at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Her research interests focus on the evolution of novel complex traits in organisms, with a special focus on the evolution and development of butterfly wing color patterns. More recently her lab is also studying how butterfly larvae learn new food odors and transmit learned preferences to the next generation.
Find out more about the TSVP on the program website: oist.jp/visiting-program
#OIST #OIST_TSVP #genetic #Butterflies #Biology #research #oist #oist_tsvp #Theoretical #Science #VisitingProgram #Okinawa #TSVP
