Genetic bases of pheromone mediated behavioural reproductive isolation

In this project we will use the comimetic, sympatric and phylogenetically close species H. melpomene malleti and H. timareta florencia to determine if chemical signals act as reproductive isolation barriers between them. If this is the case, the causal loci of the production and perception of these chemical signals will be determined either by mapping in controlled crosses or by evaluation of genotype-genotype association in natural populations. The results derived from this project will be of great impact in the field of speciation, helping to understand the genetic mechanisms of reproductive isolation in early stages of speciation, particularly in cases where differentiation occurs in the presence of gene flow.