Towards understanding the architecture of the Bicyclus anynana genome

Abstract

The seasonally distinct phenotypic variation in the eyespots of the African Bicyclus anynana is the result of an intriguing system in which ecology, evolution and developmental biology are closely entangled. This thesis explores the genetic and genomic characteristics of this butterfly by means of cytogenetics, linkage mapping, and QTL analysis to provide a framework that allows a better understanding of the genetic component of eyespot size variation. Cytogenetics uncovered the general chromosome characteristics in this species and also provided intriguing new insights in sex-chromosome evolution. Linkage mapping and QTL analysis located a number of chromosomal regions involved in eyespot size determination, most of which do not coincide with known candidate genes. Therefore, new directions in research on seasonal polyphenism have opened up as a result of these findings.