Scientists have found more than 1,500 genetic differences between hoverflies that migrate and ones that don’t.
In order to uncover the active genes that control migratory behavior, a team led by the University of Exeter collected migratory insects as they flew across a mountain pass.
The genetic data were then compared to those of summer hoverflies that don’t migrate.
According to main scientist Toby Doyle of the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall, they “identified 1,543 genes whose activity levels were different in the migrants”.
“What really struck us though was the remarkable range of roles these genes play.
As Migration requires a lot of energy, finding genes for metabolism was not a big deal. But, the author added , they “also identified genes with roles in muscle structure and function, hormonal regulation of physiology, immunity, stress resistance, flight and feeding behaviour, sensory perception and for increasing longevity
Every autumn, millions of migratory hoverflies migrate from northern Europe and travel far south.
They move through the Pyrenees on their voyage, where they congregate in high mountain passes.
Dr. Karl Wotton remarked, “it is an amazing spectacle to witness, an endless stream of hundreds of thousands of individuals through a 30-metre pass.”
When the researchers began sorting these genes by function, they discovered that suites of genes were activated simultaneously: insulin signalling for longevity, immunity pathways, and those leading to octopamine production, the insect equivalent of the stress hormone adrenaline, for long-distance flight.
“These pathways have been integrated into migratory hoverflies and modified by evolution to allow for long-distance movement,” Dr. Wotton added.
The work gives a strong genomic resource and a theoretical framework that can be used to guide future research into how migration evolved.
According to Dr. Wotton, “It is an exciting time to be studying the genetics of migration.
“Our research has already indicated several genes that have previously been associated with migration in butterflies, suggesting the existence of a shared ‘migratory gene package’ that controls migration across multiple animals.”
Image Credit: WILL HAWKES
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