Proyectos y noticias
Reseña de investigación
¿Cómo surgen y se propagan las diferencias entre organismos?
Mi investigación aprovecha las tecnologías genómicas para identificar regiones funcionalmente importantes del genoma. Investigaciones recientes se han enfocado en la evolución de los patrones de alas en las mariposas Heliconius. La enorme variación del patrón de ala en el grupo brinda oportunidades excepcionales para estudios de nivel genómico, diseñados para revelar cómo la variación morfológica ocurre a través del desarrollo y se modifica por la selección natural, en el contexto de una extraordinaria radiación adaptativa. Mantengo un laboratorio activo de genética molecular, así como instalaciones experimentales para la cría y el estudio de las Heliconius.
Educación
Duke University, Zoology, B.Sc., 1985
University of Hawaii, Zoology, M.Sc., 1991
University of Hawaii, Zoology, Ph.D., 1994
University College London, Genetics, Postdoctoral, 1994-1997
Publicaciones destacadas
Hench, K., M. Helmkampf, W. O. McMillan, and O. Puebla. (2022) Rapid radiation in a highly diverse marine environment. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 119 (4): e2020457119.
Livraghi, L., J. J. Hanly, S. M. Van Bellghem, G. Montejo-Kovacevich, E. van Der Heijden, L. S. Loh, A. Ren, I. A. Warren, J. J. Lewis, C. Concha, L. Hebberecht, C. J. Wright, J. M. Walker, J. Foley, Z. H. Goldberg, H. Arenas-Castro, C. Salazar, M. Perry, R. Papa, A. Martin, W. O. McMillan*, and C. D. Jiggins*. (2021) Cortex cis-regulatory switches establish scale colour identity and pattern diversity in Heliconius. Elife, 10: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.68549.
Rossi, M., T. J. Thurman, A. E. Hausmann, S. H. Montgomery, R. Papa, C. D. Jiggins, W. O McMillan, and R. M. Merrill. (2021) Visual mate preference evolution during butterfly speciation is linked to neural processing genes. Nature Communications, 11(1).1-10.
Thurman, T.*, E. Brodie*, E. Evans and W. O. McMillan. (2018) Facultative pupal mating in Heliconius erato: implications for mate choice, female preference and speciation. Ecology and Evolution, 8(3):1882-1889.
Mazo-Vargas, A., C. Concha, L. Livraghi, D. Massardo, W. R. Wallbank, L. Zhang, J. Papador, D. Martinez-Najera, C. D. Jiggins, M. R. Kronforst, C. J. Breuker, R. D. Reed, N. H Patel, W. O. McMillan and A. Martin. (2017) Macro-evolutionary shifts of WntA function potentiate butterfly wing pattern diversity, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 114 (40):10701-10706.
Van Belleghem, S. M., P. Rastas, A. Papanicolaou, S. H. Martin, J. J. Hanly, J. Mallet, J. J. Lewis, H. M. Hines, M. Ruiz, G. R. P. Moreira, C. D. Jiggins, B. A. Counterman*, W. O. McMillan* and R. Papa*. (2017) Complex modular architecture around a simple toolkit of wing pattern genes. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 1:0052.
Nadeau, N. J., C. Pardo-Diaz, A. Wibley, M. Supple, R. Wallbank, G. Wu, L. Maroja, L. Ferguson, H. Hines, C. Salazar, R. J. Tetley, S. Carl, R. ffrench-Constant, M. Joron, W. O. McMillan and C. D. Jiggins. (2016) The origins of a novel butterfly wing patterning gene from within a family of conserved cell cycle regulators. Nature 534(7605): 106–110. doi:10.1038/nature17961.
Supple, M. A., R. Papa, B. A. Counterman and W. Owen McMillan (2013) The genomics of an adaptive radiation– insights across the Heliconius speciation continuum. In Ecological Genomics, 249-271. Landry, C.R. and Aubin-Horth, N. (Eds). Springer.
Supple, M. A., H. M. Hines, K. K. Dasmahapatra, D. M. Nielsen, C. Lavoie, D. A. Ray, C. Salazar, W. O. McMillan*, and B. A. Counterman* (2013) Genomic architecture of adaptive color pattern divergence and convergence in Heliconius butterflies. Genome Research, 23:1248-1257.
Martin, A., R. Papa, N. J. Nadeau, R. I. Hill, B. A.Counterman, G. Halder, C. D. Jiggins, M. R. Kronforst, A Long, W. O. McMillan*, and R. D. Reed* (2012) Diversification of complex butterfly wing patterns by repeated regulator evolution of WntA. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 109(31):12632-12637.
Puebla, O., Bermingham, E., and W. O. McMillan (2012) On the spatial scale of dispersal in coral reef fishes. Molecular Ecology, 21:5675-5688
The Heliconius Genome Consortium (2012) Heliconius butterfly genome reveals promiscuous exchange of adaptive genetic variation among species. Nature, 487(7405): 94-98.
Hines, H. M., B. A. Counterman, R. Papa, P. Albuquerque de Moura, M. Z. Cardoso, M. Linares, J. Mallet, R. D. Reed, C. D. Jiggins, M. R. Kronforst, and W. O. McMillan (2011) Wing patterning gene redefines the mimetic history of Heliconius butterflies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 118(49): 19666-19671.
Reed, R. D.*, R. Papa*, A. Martin, H. M. Hines, B. A. Counterman, C. Pardo-Diaz, C. D. Jiggins, N. L. Chamberlain, M. R. Kronforst, R. Chen, G. Halder, H. F. Nijhout, and W. O. McMillan (2011) optixs drives repeated convergent evolution in butterfly color pattern mimicry. Science, 333: 1137-1141
