HOW BUTTERFLY COMMUNITIES EVOLVE INTO A GAME OF WARNING AND DECEIPT!

Students from Dr. Krushnamegh Kunte's Biodiversity Lab have discovered some secrets of a long evolutionary game through which butterflies come to warn, fool and escape their predators using traits such as wing colour patterns and flight

A network to monitor butterfly populations in India for science, education, community building, and biodiversity conservation 

All moths engage in swift flight manoeuvres, and their eyes can sense the slightest change in their environment. What causes their eyes to perform the same functions under different light conditions is not clear to scientists. Recently, researchers have studied whether the butterflies and moths’ activity patterns at different times of the day can explain the difference in how their eyes function.

When NCBS scientists Krushnamegh Kunte and Vaishali Bhaumik explored the movement pattern of butterflies – a species they studied for years – they discovered how such contrasting movement patterns influenced the reproductive characteristics of the winged insects.

A first-of-its kind online public campaign is underway to choose from a list of seven winged wonders nominated by experts. The butterfly poll will end on October 7.

Reproductive function of female butterflies burdens their capabilities for long-distance flight, which may affect populations in a changing, uncertain world

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For humans, trade is second nature and civilizations have flourished and fallen with the fate of their trade. In fact, the mutual scratching of backs is a cornerstone of many animal societies. On the other hand, deep and sustained mutualisms across species were long thought to be quirks of evolution, where radically different players managed to stick together and trade for mutual benefit.

As the monsoon draws to a close, thousands of butterflies make their way to the Western Ghats