Really excited to see @borreroja.bsky.social’s tour de force exploring the behavioural consequences of coordinated visual adaptations in *Heliconius*, and how these may break down in hybrids, out in the world. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Dos H. himera salvajes antes de ir a dormir :)

Muy feliz de ver por fin este trabajo en el mundo 💛 6/6

También analizamos sus cerebros y ojos 👁️🧠
Los machos tienen ojos más grandes y las hembras invierten más en regiones de aprendizaje. Esto no explica la conducta directamente, pero revela cómo interactúan la ecología y los sistemas sensoriales. 5/6

Mostramos que las hembras recolectan más polen que los machos (probablemente por mayores necesidades nutricionales), pero usando metabarcoding de ADN encontramos que ambos sexos usan flores similares 🌸 4/6

Lo que hace que este trabajo sea especial para mí es dónde ocurrió. Pasamos 6 meses en Vilcabamba estudiando su historia natural, recolectando casi todos los días. Está muy cerca de mi ciudad natal, Cuenca (Ecuador), y la verdad, ¡Vilcabamba es un lugar increíble para vivir! 🇪🇨☀️ 3/6

¡Lo que empezó como un plan B fortuito se convirtió en 6 meses de increíble trabajo de campo! Este fue un enorme trabajo en equipo, especialmente con @gadsumo.bsky.social, y una supervisión increíble de @dickmerrill.bsky.social, @ebablab.bsky.social y Alexander Keller 🙏 2/6

¡Contento de compartir nuestro nuevo artículo sobre el forrajeo de polen en Heliconius himera en @behavecol.bsky.social! 🦋🌼 Exploramos cómo hembras y muchos de H. himera difieren en el forrajeo de polen y rasgos sensoriales. 1/6🧵👇academic.oup.com/beheco/article/37/3/arag...

Two wild H. himera butterflies before roosting

Really happy to see this work out in the world 💛
#SexualDimorphism #Metabarcoding #Pollination #ForagingBehaviour #Lepidoptera #SensoryEcology

We also explored how this behaviour relates their eyes and brains 👁️🧠. Males have larger eyes, while females invest more in brain regions linked to learning. These differences don’t directly explain behaviour, but they give us a window into how sensory systems and ecology interact. 5/6

We show that females collect more pollen than males (likely due to higher nutritional needs), but using DNA metabarcoding we found that both sexes use similar flowers 🌸 4/6

What makes this one special to me is where it happened. We spent 6 months in Vilcabamba studying their natural history, collecting almost every single day. It's so close to my hometown, Cuenca (Ecuador), and honestly, Vilcabamba is just an awesome place to live! 🇪🇨☀️ 3/6

What started as a serendipitous backup plan turned into 6 months of amazing fieldwork! This was a huge team effort, especially with @gadsumo.bsky.social, and incredible supervision from @dickmerrill.bsky.social, @ebablab.bsky.social, and Alexander Keller 🙏 2/6

Sexual dimorphism in pollen foraging and sensory traits in Heliconius butterflies Male and female butterflies often face different ecological and sensory demands, yet how this shapes their foraging behaviour remains unclear. In Heliconiu

Excited to share our new paper on pollen foraging in Heliconius himera @behavecol.bsky.social! 🦋🌼
academic.oup.com/beheco/artic...
We explored how female and male H. himera differ in pollen foraging & sensory traits. 1/6🧵👇

Evolution of the olfactory system during the radiation of Heliconiini butterflies Abstract. Sensory system evolution plays a crucial role in shaping species’ interactions with their environment, yet the extent to which olfactory system d

New paper out! A nice collaboration.
We explore how olfactory brain structures and receptors evolved across this remarkable group, Heliconiini butterflies.

Very interesting work from @borreroja.bsky.social on the unique foraging behaviours of #Heliconius!

José Borrero from Richard Merrill's lab studies how the visual acuity changes with age in different species of Heliconius butterflies and how it is related to brain morphology and neurogenesis. #dzg2025
@borreroja.bsky.social
@dickmerrill.bsky.social

@borreroja.bsky.social shows how ecological divergence & post-eclosion brain dev shape visual performance in Heliconius butterflies. Speciation often related to transitions closed /open forest
#ESEB2025 @tibbe-evolneuro.bsky.social @ebablab.bsky.social @alealisousa.bsky.social @r3rt0.bsky.social

Great thank you!

🙋‍♂️

🚨Anyone want a job?🚨
We have two #postdocs up for grabs! 🧪
- cell developmental biology/#evodevo/#neuroevodevo
- bioinformatics and molecular biology
Both working on brain evolution in Heliconiini butterflies
Details below! Please repost 🙏 1/n

Just over a week left to apply for this. Please get the word out there and tell your students :)

Distinct evolutionary trajectories of two integration centres, the central complex and mushroom bodies, across Heliconiini butterflies Neural circuits have evolved to produce cognitive processes that facilitate a species variable behavioural repertoire. Underlying this variation are evolutionary forces, such as selection, that operat...

Really happy to share our new preprint on the central complex of Heliconiini butterflies www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1.... Check it out!
@neuroethology.org @brainevolutionnews.bsky.social @prelights.bsky.social @tibbe-evolneuro.bsky.social #brainevolution #heliconius #centralcomplex

We are excited to announce that the winner of this year’s #BiologyLetters #ECR Competition is Jose Borrero. Read "Weighting of sensory cues reflect changing patterns of visual investment during ecological divergence in Heliconius butterflies" here: ow.ly/UqYc50UCnVU @borreroja.bsky.social