S. H. Montgomery

Selfish herd effects in aggregated caterpillars and their interaction with warning signals

The paper tests Hamilton's selfish herd theory by exposing artificial caterpillar targets to bird predation, finding central targets survive better and warning signals enhance group survival.

Adaptive divergence in the eyes of Heliconius butterflies likely contributes to pre- and post mating isolation

The paper examines eye morphology divergence between Heliconius species and their hybrids, finding adaptive differences and visual system disruption in hybrids.

Enhanced long-term memory and increased mushroom body plasticity in Heliconius butterflies

This study shows Heliconius butterflies have enhanced long-term memory and greater mushroom body plasticity compared to related species, linked to synaptic changes and developmental responses to learning.

Parallel shifts in flight-height associated with altitude across incipient Heliconius species

The paper examines flight-height variation in Heliconius butterflies during speciation, finding parallel trait shifts linked to altitude and environmental selection.

Reversal learning of visual cues in Heliconiini butterflies

This study tests reversal learning in Heliconius and related butterflies to assess if enlarged mushroom bodies enhance cognitive flexibility, finding no difference in performance compared to other Heliconiini species.

Patterns of host plant use do not explain mushroom body expansion in Heliconiini butterflies

The paper tests if host plant morphology drives mushroom body size in Heliconiini butterflies and finds no significant association.

Rapid expansion and visual specialization of learning and memory centers in Heliconiini butterflies

The paper identifies rapid expansion and specialization of neural structures in Heliconiini butterflies linked to cognitive improvements and foraging behaviors.

Evolutionary dynamics of genome size and content during the adaptive radiation of Heliconiini butterflies

This study generates and analyzes 63 Heliconiini butterfly genomes to explore evolutionary patterns and genomic basis of traits during adaptive radiation.

Warning coloration, body size and the evolution of gregarious behavior in butterfly larvae

The paper investigates the evolutionary relationships between gregariousness, aposematism, and body size in butterfly larvae, finding aposematism often precedes gregariousness and body size affects coloration in solitary larvae.

Repeated genetic adaptation to high altitude in two tropical butterflies

This study identifies genetic regions under selection in two tropical butterflies adapted to high altitude, showing that standing variation and introgression from high-altitude specialists contribute to parallel adaptation.

Chromosome fusion affects genetic diversity and evolutionary turnover of functional loci, but consistently depends on chromosome size

This study examines how chromosome fusions in Heliconius butterflies affect genetic diversity and functional locus turnover, showing size-dependent evolutionary impacts.

Re-emergence and diversification of a specialised antennal lobe morphology in ithomiine butterflies

The paper identifies the re-emergence and diversification of macroglomerular complexes in ithomiine butterflies, linking their morphology to ecological and chemical cue processing.

Neural divergence and hybrid disruption between ecologically isolated Heliconius butterflies

This study shows that neural divergence and hybrid disruption occur in Heliconius butterflies due to environmental transitions, contributing to reproductive isolation.

Heliconiini butterflies can learn time-dependent reward associations

This study shows Heliconius butterflies can learn time-dependent reward associations, with this ability also present in a related non-pollen feeding genus.

Visual mate preference evolution during butterfly speciation is linked to neural processing genes

The paper identifies genes linked to visual mate preference divergence in Heliconius butterflies through QTL analysis and gene expression studies in neural tissues.

Beyond Brain Size

This paper examines the limitations of using brain size as a proxy for cognitive ability across species and suggests a more nuanced approach to comparative brain-behavior research.