Psyche project unveils genetic secrets of Europe’s butterflies

The Psyche project, a groundbreaking initiative by the Wellcome Sanger Institute in partnership with leading European research centers, is delving deep into the genetic mysteries of Europe's 11,000 butterfly and moth species.

The Chalkhill Blue butterfly is renowned for its striking beauty, gracing the grasslands of southern England each summer with its vivid colors, Caliber.Az reports citing the foreign media.

Beyond its visual appeal, this butterfly has a unique relationship with ants. Its caterpillars secrete honeydew, a sugary substance consumed by ants, who in turn offer protection and shelter in specially constructed underground cells. Despite this symbiotic partnership, Chalkhill Blue populations are now facing threats.

A new project, Psyche, is set to enhance our understanding of these fascinating insects. Psyche aims to sequence the genomes of all 11,000 butterfly and moth species in Europe, shedding light on the impacts of climate change and habitat loss on these delicate creatures.

As part of the Psyche project, scientists have uncovered a fascinating genetic variation in the Chalkhill Blue butterfly. Depending on their location, these butterflies have differing numbers of chromosomes, the DNA packets that encode their genetic information. In southern Europe, they possess 87 chromosomes, but this number increases by one as they migrate north, reaching 90 chromosomes at their northern range.

“This challenges the long-held belief that species have a fixed number of chromosomes,” said evolutionary biologist Charlotte Wright from the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Cambridge. “The fact that the Chalkhill Blue has been adding chromosomes as it moved northward, following the retreat of glaciers since the last ice age, is quite surprising.”

Mark Blaxter, also from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, supports this view, noting, “This observation suggests we are witnessing the process of speciation in real-time. It’s as if we are observing the evolution of two species from a single ancestor, providing a rare glimpse into evolutionary dynamics.”

The Psyche project, spearheaded by the Wellcome Sanger Institute in collaboration with six other leading European research centers—including Oulu University in Finland and the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Barcelona—aims to sequence the genomes of all 11,000 butterfly and moth species in Europe. Named after the Greek goddess Psyche, who was associated with butterflies, the project reflects the mythological link between butterflies and the soul.

Prior to the advent of modern genomics, the classification of moths and butterflies was a topic of debate. "DNA technology has clarified that butterflies are essentially a subset of moths, distinguished mainly by their more vibrant colors," explained evolutionary biologist Charlotte Wright.

Given that moths and butterflies make up a tenth of all named species on Earth, their sensitivity to environmental changes provides valuable insights into broader ecological shifts. “Understanding species like the Chalkhill Blue helps us grasp the impact of climate change and habitat loss on the natural world,” added Mark Blaxter. The project’s findings on the Chalkhill Blue’s chromosome variations exemplify how such knowledge can illuminate ongoing evolutionary processes.