Data from: Genomic architecture of adaptive color pattern divergence and convergence in Heliconius butterflies

Identifying the genetic changes driving adaptive variation in natural
populations is key to understanding the origins of biodiversity. The
mosaic of mimetic wing patterns in Heliconius butterflies makes an
excellent system for exploring adaptive variation using next-generation
sequencing. In this study, we use a combination of techniques to annotate
the genomic interval modulating red color pattern variation, identify a
narrow region responsible for adaptive divergence and convergence in
Heliconius wing color patterns, and explore the evolutionary history of
these adaptive alleles. We use whole genome resequencing from four hybrid
zones between divergent color pattern races of Heliconius erato and two
hybrid zones of the co-mimic Heliconius melpomene to examine genetic
variation across 2.2 Mb of a partial reference sequence. In the intergenic
region near optix, the gene previously shown to be responsible for the
complex red pattern variation in Heliconius, population genetic analyses
identify a shared 65 kb region of divergence that includes several sites
perfectly associated with phenotype within each species. This region
likely contains multiple cis-regulatory elements that control discrete
expression domains of optix. The parallel signatures of genetic
differentiation in H. erato and H. melpomene support a shared genetic
architecture between the two distantly related co-mimics; however,
phylogenetic analysis suggests mimetic patterns in each species evolved
independently. Using a combination of next-generation sequencing analyses,
we have refined our understanding of the genetic architecture of wing
pattern variation in Heliconius and gained important insights into the
evolution of novel adaptive phenotypes in natural populations.