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Summer rainfall drives adaptation with gene flow in a widespread butterfly

Durkee, Lily1; Bossu, Christen1; Ruegg, Kristen1; Hufbauer, Ruth1

Research facility: Colorado State University
Published Jun 24, 2026 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.gmsbcc34r

Data files

Abstract

Understanding how environmental variation interacts with gene flow to shape population genomic patterns is a central goal in evolutionary biology. We investigated how geographic and environmental differences impact genomic variation in the clouded sulfur butterfly (Colias philodice eriphyle) by conducting whole-genome resequencing across replicated transects consisting of paired high- and low-elevation sites on both sides of a major mountain range. Despite sampling across steep environmental gradients, we found no evidence of discrete population structure, indicating high connectivity across the region. Nonetheless, significant isolation by distance – strongest in eastern populations – revealed that geographic distance still imposes limits on gene flow, and genetic diversity was also elevated in the east. Genotype-environment association analyses identified more than 16,000 loci associated with elevation, precipitation, and solar radiation. Our redundancy analysis identified precipitation as the strongest predictor of adaptive genomic differentiation, and candidate genes included those linked to melanization and thermoregulation (e.g., TH and yellow). These results demonstrate that even in a largely panmictic population, environmental variation can maintain regional-scale signals of local adaptation. Because insects are declining globally and remain underrepresented in genomic monitoring, conducting whole-genome analyses in a widespread species provides valuable context for assessing how insects today persist across such diverse landscapes and their potential for withstanding future environmental change.