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https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5881861923?omn=85945744831
Meeting ID: 588 186 1923

Topic description / abstract:

The color patterns of butterflies and moths are a uniquely tractable experimental system because they are composed of an underlying series of homologous characters. Although significant progress has been made in identifying candidate genes associated with specific pattern homologs, the mechanisms responsible for determining the positioning of elements, and the overall structure of patterns remain more-or-less unknown.  In this talk, I will discuss an ongoing project that aims to make preliminary progress on these fronts. More specifically, I will show how robust positioning rules and continuous variation in wing morphology can jointly contribute to changes in the overall structure of color patterns. An important implication of the proposed model is that physiological processes such as the growth, scaling, and allometry of the wing itself play an important role in the development and evolution of color patterns. 

Biographical note: 

Richard Gawne is an evolutionary developmental biologist working as Curator of Natural History at the Nevada State Museum - Las Vegas. His current projects are primarily focused on understanding the evolution and development of lepidopteran color patterns. This work involves the use of preserved museum specimens, as well as experimental and computational methods. In addition to this line of research, he has other longstanding interests in entomology, theoretical biology, the construction of automated experimental devices.