Papers

Older publications here ...

Book chapters here...

Recent Publications

2023

Thawornwattana, Y., Seixas, F. A., Yang, Z., & Mallet, J. (2023). Major patterns in the introgression history of Heliconius butterflies. ELife, 12, RP90656. (Original work published 2023)
Thawornwattana, Y., Seixas, F. A., Yang, Z., & Mallet, J. (2023). Major patterns in the introgression history of Heliconius butterflies. ELife, 12, RP90656. (Original work published 2023)
Xiong, T., Tarikere, S., Rosser, N., Li, X., Yago, M., & Mallet, J. (2023). A polygenic explanation for Haldane’s Rule in butterflies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 120(44), e2300959120.
Xiong, T., Tarikere, S., Rosser, N., Li, X., Yago, M., & Mallet, J. (2023). A polygenic explanation for Haldane’s Rule in butterflies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 120(44), e2300959120.
Thawornwattana, Y., Huang, J., Flouri, T., Mallet, J., & Yang, Z. (2023). Inferring the direction of introgression using genomic sequence data. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 40(8), msad178.
Thawornwattana, Y., Huang, J., Flouri, T., Mallet, J., & Yang, Z. (2023). Inferring the direction of introgression using genomic sequence data. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 40(8), msad178.

2022

Rosser, N., Seixas, F., & Mallet, J. (2022). Sympatric speciation by allochrony? Molecular Ecology, 31, 3975-3978.
Rosser, N., Seixas, F., & Mallet, J. (2022). Sympatric speciation by allochrony? Molecular Ecology, 31, 3975-3978.
Thawornwattana, Y., Seixas, F. A., Yang, Z., & Mallet, J. (2022). Full-likelihood genomic analysis clarifies a complex history of species divergence and introgression: the example of the erato-sara group of Heliconius butterflies. Systematic Biology, 71(5), 1159-1177.
Thawornwattana, Y., Seixas, F. A., Yang, Z., & Mallet, J. (2022). Full-likelihood genomic analysis clarifies a complex history of species divergence and introgression: the example of the erato-sara group of Heliconius butterflies. Systematic Biology, 71(5), 1159-1177.
Rosser, N., Edelman, N. B., Queste, L. M., Nelson, M., Seixas, F., Dasmahapatra, K. K., & Mallet, J. (2022). Complex basis of hybrid female sterility and Haldane’s rule in Heliconius butterflies: Z-linkage and epistasis. Molecular Ecology, 31, 959-977.
Rosser, N., Edelman, N. B., Queste, L. M., Nelson, M., Seixas, F., Dasmahapatra, K. K., & Mallet, J. (2022). Complex basis of hybrid female sterility and Haldane’s rule in Heliconius butterflies: Z-linkage and epistasis. Molecular Ecology, 31, 959-977.
Mallet, J., & Mullen, S. P. (2022). Reproductive isolation is a heuristic, not a measure: a commentary on Westram et al., 2022. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 35(9), 1175-1182.
Mallet, J., & Mullen, S. P. (2022). Reproductive isolation is a heuristic, not a measure: a commentary on Westram et al., 2022. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 35(9), 1175-1182.
Mallet, J. (2022). The making of a moth man (book review of: Grant, Bruce S. 2021. Observing Evolution). Evolution, 76(6), 1362-1365.
Mallet, J. (2022). The making of a moth man (book review of: Grant, Bruce S. 2021. Observing Evolution). Evolution, 76(6), 1362-1365.
Xiong, T., & Mallet, J. (2022). On the impermanence of species: the collapse of genetic incompatibilities in hybridizing populations. Evolution, 76(11), 2498-2512.
Xiong, T., & Mallet, J. (2022). On the impermanence of species: the collapse of genetic incompatibilities in hybridizing populations. Evolution, 76(11), 2498-2512.
Mallet, J., Seixas, F., & Thawornwattana, Y. (2022). Species, concepts of. In Encyclopedia of Biodiversity. Elsevier.
Mallet, J., Seixas, F., & Thawornwattana, Y. (2022). Species, concepts of. In Encyclopedia of Biodiversity. Elsevier.
Huang, J., Thawornwattana, Y., Flouri, T., Mallet, J., & Yang, Z. (2022). Inference of gene flow between species under misspecified models. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 39(12), 1-19.
Huang, J., Thawornwattana, Y., Flouri, T., Mallet, J., & Yang, Z. (2022). Inference of gene flow between species under misspecified models. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 39(12), 1-19.
Xiong, T., Li, X., Yago, M., & Mallet, J. (2022). Admixture of evolutionary rates across a butterfly hybrid zone. ELife, 11, e78135.
Xiong, T., Li, X., Yago, M., & Mallet, J. (2022). Admixture of evolutionary rates across a butterfly hybrid zone. ELife, 11, e78135.

New papers from us

Hybrid speciation in the Amazon. Rosser, N., Seixas, F., et al. 2024. Hybrid speciation driven by multilocus introgression of ecological traits. Nature 628:811-817. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07263-w

hybrid speciation

 

Halloween cover of PNAS, 31 October 2023. Tianzhu Xiong, et al. Hybrid sterility in female butterflies is best explained by a polygenic model of inheritance on Z chromosome and autosomes.

Butterfly oocyte

 

Cover of Science, Nov. 1, 2019.
The issue features our paper on genomic evidence for gene flow among species.  Photo by Andrew Neild.

Science cover, Nov. 1, 2019

 

A cryptic species discovered in Heliconius !  It is not always the case that mtDNA 'barcode' differences correctly delimit separate species. However, we recently found two cryptic Heliconius species that co-occur in sympatry in a narrow zone of overlap in Amazonia, initially via barcoding. Furthermore, the two taxa are co-mimics, so no mimicry switch led to speciation here, although we had thought that mimicry switches typically accompanied speciation in the genus Heliconius. Rosser et al. 2019. 

Heliconius demeter vs. eratosignis


What prevents hybrid zones from moving? (a), top above. Could be there's a density trough (b), or a cline at another ecologically relevant locus that interferes (c)? We argue that it's more likely that a high rainfall peak (d), bottom at the edge of the Andes traps butterfly hybrid zones, to form a massive suture zone in many butterfly taxa. (See Rosser et al. 2014).

moving clines


Evidence for adaptive introgression at the B/D mimicry locus
a, Genetic divergence between H. melpomene races aglaope (rayed) and amaryllis (postman) across a hybrid zone in northeast Peru. Divergence, FST, measured along the B/D genomic region peaks in the locus that controls red wing pattern elements between the genes kinesin and optix. b, c, Distribution of fixed ABBA and BABA sites (see above) along B/Dregion for two comparisons between H. melpomene and H. timareta. Excesses of ABBA in b and BABA in c are highly significant, indicating introgression of colour pattern control region. From Fig. 4 of Heliconius Genome Consortium 2012

from Heliconius Nature 2012 Fig. 4


Selection against melanism in UK after the Clean Air Act. Survival of peppered moth morphs (+/- SE) over the course of six years of the predation experiment. Unfilled diamonds with dashed lines, non-melanic; filled squares with solid lines, melanic. From Fig. 1 of Laurence Cook et al. 2012
 

fig1_sm.jpeg