Author: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution via EurekAlert!

  • Butterflies use differences in leaf shape to distinguish between plants

    The preference of Heliconius butterflies for certain leaf shapes is innate, but can be reversed through learning. These results support a decades-old theory for explaining the evolution of the exceptional diversity of leaf shapes in passionflowers.The tropical butterfly Heliconius eratodistinguishes between shapes, and uses them as a cue for choosing the plants on which to feed and lay…