Scientists managed to get a proper insight into how the wing color is created on butterfly wings. A recent study is represented by a mating experiment realized by a butterfly breeder. The results of his notes are bringing researchers one step ahead in understanding how the wing colors are created and how do they behave later on.
Typically, the buckeye butterflies have a brown tone displayed on their wings. The impressive phenomenon appears when they transform into brilliant blue wings through selective mating. Therefore, the primary focus of the study was to determine what is causing this change in colors.
The researchers soon understood that the buckeyes are likely to develop rainbow structure colors when they tune the lamina, producing iridescent colors. The butterflies often use the structural color to create blue and green tones.
Scientists were lucky to observe that butterfly wings change colors
Additionally, the pigment coloration is determined when specific colors are absorbed by light, creating colors like orange, yellow, or brown. Therefore, the essential criteria to create the stunning colors displayed on butterflies’ wings is the lamina. Its thickness determines the change scale of the colors.
Using this feature, the scientists are now able to decide on the genetic system of the living species and spot, which are the developmental mechanisms that influence the coloration. The Optix gene is the first such system that the scientists have managed to identify, with many other projects being scheduled.
The scientists were lucky that the farmer decided to experiment on this breed of butterflies since they are an enormous source of experiments for the scientists. The main benefit is the fact that the buckeye species can quickly adapt its growth to the lab conditions. The butterfly wings that change colors are unique to those specific insects since it very hard to find those who can cope with an unnatural environment. Therefore, the buckeye genome is an evolutionary source of rapid evolution.
