{"entity": "researcher", "timestamp": "2026-07-20T22:31:25.463Z", "family": "Pierce", "given": "Naomi E", "initials": "NE", "orcid": "0000-0003-3366-1625", "affiliations": ["Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA."], "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/researcher/7c1e6c94b58244ada2442e0541168252.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/researcher/7c1e6c94b58244ada2442e0541168252"}}, "publications": [{"entity": "publication", "iuid": "96f3d22ca79f4d718217e5f0af6a3865", "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/publication/96f3d22ca79f4d718217e5f0af6a3865.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/publication/96f3d22ca79f4d718217e5f0af6a3865"}}, "title": "A north-south hemispheric migratory divide in the butterfly Vanessa cardui.", "authors": [{"family": "Garc\u00eda-Berro", "given": "Aurora", "initials": "A", "orcid": "0000-0002-2419-2516", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/researcher/7fdb6dd337074a89bf36e3b06458f042.json"}}, {"family": "Shipilina", "given": "Daria", "initials": "D", "orcid": "0000-0002-1145-9226", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/researcher/758a7bdbc6654826ab7f06cf3938b5c3.json"}}, {"family": "Backstr\u00f6m", "given": "Niclas", "initials": "N", "orcid": "0000-0002-0961-8427", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/researcher/674a0756dcf44e79ac6a6a2499b01760.json"}}, {"family": "Suchan", "given": "Tomasz", "initials": "T", "orcid": "0000-0002-0811-8754", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/researcher/8b3c7df2089e4060a8ad426a5570654c.json"}}, {"family": "Palah\u00ed", "given": "Aleix", "initials": "A", "orcid": "0000-0002-1373-4949", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/researcher/ee01ff0f2c3746939dbf64a7fca04439.json"}}, {"family": "Collins", "given": "Steve C", "initials": "SC"}, {"family": "Martins", "given": "Dino J", "initials": "DJ"}, {"family": "Pierce", "given": "Naomi E", "initials": "NE", "orcid": "0000-0003-3366-1625", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/researcher/7c1e6c94b58244ada2442e0541168252.json"}}, {"family": "Vila", "given": "Roger", "initials": "R", "orcid": "0000-0002-2447-4388", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/researcher/12f9f7ce050d463bb9a67d6970b9428a.json"}}, {"family": "Talavera", "given": "Gerard", "initials": "G", "orcid": "0000-0003-1112-1345", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/researcher/1081486b2353478b8dba3388e819822b.json"}}], "type": "journal article", "published": "2025-12-30", "journal": {"title": "Nat Commun", "issn": "2041-1723", "volume": "16", "issue": "1", "pages": "11341", "issn-l": "2041-1723"}, "abstract": "Reversed seasonality and distinct navigation cues in the Earth's two hemispheres may shape the evolution of migratory behaviour in animals. Migratory divides-contact zones where populations have evolved alternative migratory strategies-are well-documented in birds and typically occur longitudinally. We hypothesise that insect migratory divides are less likely to emerge longitudinally, but may exist latitudinally, driven by hemisphere-specific sensory adaptations that lead to spatial and temporal isolation. Here, we examine this hypothesis in the cosmopolitan painted lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui), whose Southern Hemisphere dynamics remain unexplored. Investigating the genomes of 300 individuals across Africa and Europe, we identify a 9 Mb chromosomal inversion on chromosome 8, which exhibits strong haplotype structure aligned with hemispheric origin, with a few potential heterozygotes near the equator. The inversion harbours 336 genes, including several directly relevant to migration. Notably, one inversion breakpoint intersects the gene encoding the GABA-B receptor, which responds to the neuropeptide \u03b3-aminobutyric acid (GABA), crucial for insect navigation. Our findings provide genomic evidence of a migratory divide in insects and highlight the role of inverted seasonality in the two hemispheres and genomic rearrangements as isolating barriers for highly mobile species.", "doi": "10.1038/s41467-025-67185-7", "pmid": "41469375", "labels": {"National Genomics Infrastructure": "Service", "NGI Stockholm (Genomics Production)": "Service", "NGI Short read": "Service"}, "xrefs": [{"db": "pmc", "key": "PMC12753642"}, {"db": "pii", "key": "10.1038/s41467-025-67185-7"}], "notes": [], "created": "2026-01-07T11:02:45.340Z", "modified": "2026-01-07T11:02:45.758Z"}, {"entity": "publication", "iuid": "9257ffe92beb4896a039c75856d3f506", "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/publication/9257ffe92beb4896a039c75856d3f506.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/publication/9257ffe92beb4896a039c75856d3f506"}}, "title": "Migratory behaviour is positively associated with genetic diversity in butterflies.", "authors": [{"family": "Garc\u00eda-Berro", "given": "Aurora", "initials": "A", "orcid": "0000-0002-2419-2516", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/researcher/7fdb6dd337074a89bf36e3b06458f042.json"}}, {"family": "Talla", "given": "Venkat", "initials": "V", "orcid": "0000-0003-2653-6770", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/researcher/703518ce5a1f4e5ea04719016173a867.json"}}, {"family": "Vila", "given": "Roger", "initials": "R", "orcid": "0000-0002-2447-4388", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/researcher/12f9f7ce050d463bb9a67d6970b9428a.json"}}, {"family": "Wai", "given": "Hong Kar", "initials": "HK", "orcid": "0000-0002-3489-9056", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/researcher/7ed472ef61e94c6b819a009dae03d975.json"}}, {"family": "Shipilina", "given": "Daria", "initials": "D", "orcid": "0000-0002-1145-9226", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/researcher/758a7bdbc6654826ab7f06cf3938b5c3.json"}}, {"family": "Chan", "given": "Kok Gan", "initials": "KG", "orcid": "0000-0002-1883-1115", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/researcher/3bb4e116b64d4fa5bb617a53d1bca336.json"}}, {"family": "Pierce", "given": "Naomi E", "initials": "NE", "orcid": "0000-0003-3366-1625", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/researcher/7c1e6c94b58244ada2442e0541168252.json"}}, {"family": "Backstr\u00f6m", "given": "Niclas", "initials": "N", "orcid": "0000-0002-0961-8427", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/researcher/674a0756dcf44e79ac6a6a2499b01760.json"}}, {"family": "Talavera", "given": "Gerard", "initials": "G", "orcid": "0000-0003-1112-1345", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/researcher/1081486b2353478b8dba3388e819822b.json"}}], "type": "journal article", "published": "2023-02-00", "journal": {"title": "Mol. Ecol.", "issn": "1365-294X", "issn-l": "0962-1083", "volume": "32", "issue": "3", "pages": "560-574"}, "abstract": "Migration is typically associated with risk and uncertainty at the population level, but little is known about its cost-benefit trade-offs at the species level. Migratory insects in particular often exhibit strong demographic fluctuations due to local bottlenecks and outbreaks. Here, we use genomic data to investigate levels of heterozygosity and long-term population size dynamics in migratory insects, as an alternative to classical local and short-term approaches such as regional field monitoring. We analyse whole-genome sequences from 97 Lepidoptera species and show that individuals of migratory species have significantly higher levels of genome-wide heterozygosity, a proxy for effective population size, than do nonmigratory species. Also, we contribute whole-genome data for one of the most emblematic insect migratory species, the painted lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui), sampled across its worldwide distributional range. This species exhibits one of the highest levels of genomic heterozygosity described in Lepidoptera (2.95 \u00b1 0.15%). Coalescent modelling (PSMC) shows historical demographic stability in V. cardui, and high effective population size estimates of 2-20 million individuals 10,000 years ago. The study reveals that the high risks associated with migration and local environmental fluctuations do not seem to decrease overall genetic diversity and demographic stability in migratory Lepidoptera. We propose a \"compensatory\" demographic model for migratory r-strategist organisms in which local bottlenecks are counterbalanced by reproductive success elsewhere within their typically large distributional ranges. Our findings highlight that the boundaries of populations are substantially different for sedentary and migratory insects, and that, in the latter, local and even regional field monitoring results may not reflect whole population dynamics. Genomic diversity patterns may elucidate key aspects of an insect's migratory nature and population dynamics at large spatiotemporal scales.", "doi": "10.1111/mec.16770", "pmid": "36336800", "labels": {"National Genomics Infrastructure": "Service", "NGI Stockholm (Genomics Production)": "Service", "NGI Short read": "Service", "Bioinformatics Support for Computational Resources": "Service"}, "xrefs": [{"db": "pmc", "key": "PMC10100375"}], "notes": [], "created": "2022-12-19T10:42:50.812Z", "modified": "2024-01-16T13:48:34.019Z"}]}