DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The proximate basis of behavioral plasticity in the butterfly Bicyclus anynana

Yale University, New Haven CT

Investigators

Abstract

Changes in brain development can lead to changes in adult behavior. Such developmental alterations may be due to changes in the environment, a phenomenon known as phenotypic plasticity. Phenotypic plasticity is a ubiquitous phenomenon but many questions about its underlying molecular basis remain unanswered. To address these questions, gene expression in the brains of individuals exposed to different environmental conditions during development will be compared. The butterfly Bicyclus anynana, a seasonally plastic butterfly in which the temperature during development determines the adult courtship behavioral phenotype, will be used for these experiments. When reared under warm conditions (27?aC), that mimic the natural wet season experienced by wild B. anynana, adult males court females avidly. Male butterflies that are reared under cool conditions (17?aC), that mimic the natural dry season, are passive and court females significantly less. This study will use the sequencing technology known as RNA seq to measure gene expression in the brains of butterflies exposed to the different temperatures during development. This will enable identification of genes that may play a role in the temperature dependant development of the brain and behavior in B. anynana. Broader Impacts: This study is expected to shed new light on how the environment affects behavior. This is an important goal of both evolutionary biologists, who seek to understand how organisms produce adaptive behaviors in changing environments, and neuroscientists, who seek to understand the physiological basis of behavior. Thus, this project promotes collaboration between branches of biology with diverse perspectives, skills, and techniques. The results of this research will be made available to the general public through a website that will convey information in a jargon-free way that is accessible to high-school students, as well as through presentations at local schools that highlight the contribution of women in science.