In the previous post, I discussed how the pandemic taught me to teach, to mentor and do research through my computer screen. This week, I decided to do a little further, and to make a short video of one of the trick I use with my science a lot, and which could be easily taught to students from around the globe…
Under different treatments, different lab or natural conditions, or because of genetic differences, individuals of a same population show differences in size! Butterflies are no different!
Research, including some of my own, has shown that individual variation in wing size/ wing length is measurable in butterflies. Check here for some examples:
Figure: Sticking butterfly wings to transparent sheets for measurement (here: mostly Melitaea cinxia’s wings, and few specimens of M. athalia and M. diamina – from the dorsal side)
Measuring each individual is quite time consuming, and the wings can get damage is storage with time. So researchers tend to take pictures of the wings as soon as possible after the capture or the rearing of those insects. Pictures will last forever.
To do so there are different methods, mine consist of sticking the wings of the specimens between a piece of tape and a transparent plastic sheet (Figure above). Once the specimens are fixed, and the IDs have been written down, I will scan that sheet of wings (highest resolution scan), and then measure the samples as desired. I find this way to be the most convenient for me, as the scans will be stored forever on my computer, and the wings are neatly stored in some folders in my office.
To do so you need:
- see-through tape
- see-through plastic sheet (for old-fashion projectors)
- tweezers
- scissors
- pen for smooth surfaces
- butterfly wings from your different experiments/treatments
If you are interested, I made a short video to teach you how to do the same with your butterfly wings. Please check it out here: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/554263569
Happy to learn about your own protocol for the same results!
So this is one new way of teaching for me today – Looking forward to your comments and suggestion for doing a better job next time!
