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José Antonio Borrero

@borreroja.bsky.social
690 followers 1.4K following 15 posts

PhD Student in Evolutionary Biology with @LMU_Munchen borreroja.github.io | studying visual and olfactory #behaviour in #Heliconius #butterflies | 🇪🇨

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Reposted by José Antonio Borrero
Stephen Montgomery @ebablab.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Are you a #NewPI in Ecology & Evolution? Would you like to meet with peers to chat about work, the future and life as a new PI? 🍪☕️ Then I have the form for you! 📋 Help us gauge interest in a new network/event by filling in this short survey: forms.cloud.microsoft/e/K4wUiuLuFn Please RT! 🙏
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Reposted by José Antonio Borrero
Richard Merrill @dickmerrill.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Very excited to see this multi-faceted* study, led by Shane Wright and representing years of work on visual evolution and perception in Heliconius as part of our ERC Starting Grant, released into the world! 🦋*pun very much intended www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
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Reposted by José Antonio Borrero
Stephen Montgomery @ebablab.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Includes a nice article covering of @borreroja.bsky.social and @dickmerrill.bsky.social’s work in #Heliconius!
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Reposted by José Antonio Borrero
Max Farnworth @maxfarnworth.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
🚨 I AM HIRING a 3-year postdoc & 4-year PhD student 🚨 [PLEASE SHARE WIDELY] My Emmy Noether @dfg.de funded Neural Circuit & Systems Evolution lab (🌟) at the @unimainz.bsky.socialÍ wants to start existing. So..., what do we need? WELL... we need you! APPLY UNTIL 21 SEPTEMBER.
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José Antonio Borrero @borreroja.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Really cool work! Congrats :)
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Reposted by José Antonio Borrero
Richard Merrill @dickmerrill.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Really excited to see @borreroja.bsky.social’s tour de force exploring the behavioural consequences of coordinated visual adaptations in *Heliconius*, and how these may break down in hybrids, out in the world. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
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José Antonio Borrero @borreroja.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Muy feliz de ver por fin este trabajo en el mundo 💛 6/6
Dos H. himera salvajes antes de ir a dormir :)
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José Antonio Borrero @borreroja.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
También analizamos sus cerebros y ojos 👁️🧠 Los machos tienen ojos más grandes y las hembras invierten más en regiones de aprendizaje. Esto no explica la conducta directamente, pero revela cómo interactúan la ecología y los sistemas sensoriales. 5/6
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José Antonio Borrero @borreroja.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Mostramos que las hembras recolectan más polen que los machos (probablemente por mayores necesidades nutricionales), pero usando metabarcoding de ADN encontramos que ambos sexos usan flores similares 🌸 4/6
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José Antonio Borrero @borreroja.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Lo que hace que este trabajo sea especial para mí es dónde ocurrió. Pasamos 6 meses en Vilcabamba estudiando su historia natural, recolectando casi todos los días. Está muy cerca de mi ciudad natal, Cuenca (Ecuador), y la verdad, ¡Vilcabamba es un lugar increíble para vivir! 🇪🇨☀️ 3/6
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José Antonio Borrero @borreroja.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
¡Lo que empezó como un plan B fortuito se convirtió en 6 meses de increíble trabajo de campo! Este fue un enorme trabajo en equipo, especialmente con @gadsumo.bsky.social, y una supervisión increíble de @dickmerrill.bsky.social, @ebablab.bsky.social y Alexander Keller 🙏 2/6
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José Antonio Borrero @borreroja.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
¡Contento de compartir nuestro nuevo artículo sobre el forrajeo de polen en Heliconius himera en @behavecol.bsky.social! 🦋🌼 Exploramos cómo hembras y muchos de H. himera difieren en el forrajeo de polen y rasgos sensoriales. 1/6🧵👇https://academic.oup.com/beheco/article/37/3/arag014/8490681
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José Antonio Borrero @borreroja.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Really happy to see this work out in the world 💛 #SexualDimorphism #Metabarcoding #Pollination #ForagingBehaviour #Lepidoptera #SensoryEcology
Two wild H. himera butterflies before roosting
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José Antonio Borrero @borreroja.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
We also explored how this behaviour relates their eyes and brains 👁️🧠. Males have larger eyes, while females invest more in brain regions linked to learning. These differences don’t directly explain behaviour, but they give us a window into how sensory systems and ecology interact. 5/6
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José Antonio Borrero @borreroja.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
We show that females collect more pollen than males (likely due to higher nutritional needs), but using DNA metabarcoding we found that both sexes use similar flowers 🌸 4/6
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José Antonio Borrero @borreroja.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
What makes this one special to me is where it happened. We spent 6 months in Vilcabamba studying their natural history, collecting almost every single day. It's so close to my hometown, Cuenca (Ecuador), and honestly, Vilcabamba is just an awesome place to live! 🇪🇨☀️ 3/6
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José Antonio Borrero @borreroja.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
What started as a serendipitous backup plan turned into 6 months of amazing fieldwork! This was a huge team effort, especially with @gadsumo.bsky.social, and incredible supervision from @dickmerrill.bsky.social, @ebablab.bsky.social, and Alexander Keller 🙏 2/6
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José Antonio Borrero @borreroja.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Excited to share our new paper on pollen foraging in Heliconius himera @behavecol.bsky.social! 🦋🌼 academic.oup.com/beheco/artic... We explored how female and male H. himera differ in pollen foraging & sensory traits. 1/6🧵👇
academic.oup.com
Sexual dimorphism in pollen foraging and sensory traits in Heliconius butterflies
Male and female butterflies often face different ecological and sensory demands, yet how this shapes their foraging behaviour remains unclear. In Heliconiu
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Francesco Cicconardi @fcicconardi.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
New paper out! A nice collaboration. We explore how olfactory brain structures and receptors evolved across this remarkable group, Heliconiini butterflies.
academic.oup.com
Evolution of the olfactory system during the radiation of Heliconiini butterflies
Abstract. Sensory system evolution plays a crucial role in shaping species’ interactions with their environment, yet the extent to which olfactory system d
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Reposted by José Antonio Borrero
Stephen Montgomery @ebablab.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
Very interesting work from @borreroja.bsky.social on the unique foraging behaviours of #Heliconius!
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International Society for Neuroethology @neuroethology.org · 12/09/2025
José Borrero from Richard Merrill's lab studies how the visual acuity changes with age in different species of Heliconius butterflies and how it is related to brain morphology and neurogenesis. #dzg2025 @borreroja.bsky.social @dickmerrill.bsky.social
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katja heuer @k4tj4.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
@borreroja.bsky.social shows how ecological divergence & post-eclosion brain dev shape visual performance in Heliconius butterflies. Speciation often related to transitions closed /open forest #ESEB2025 @tibbe-evolneuro.bsky.social @ebablab.bsky.social @alealisousa.bsky.social @r3rt0.bsky.social
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José Antonio Borrero @borreroja.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
Great thank you!
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José Antonio Borrero @borreroja.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
🙋‍♂️
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Reposted by José Antonio Borrero
Stephen Montgomery @ebablab.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
🚨Anyone want a job?🚨 We have two #postdocs up for grabs! 🧪 - cell developmental biology/#evodevo/#neuroevodevo - bioinformatics and molecular biology Both working on brain evolution in Heliconiini butterflies Details below! Please repost 🙏 1/n
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Richard Merrill @dickmerrill.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
Just over a week left to apply for this. Please get the word out there and tell your students :)
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Max Farnworth @maxfarnworth.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
Really happy to share our new preprint on the central complex of Heliconiini butterflies www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1.... Check it out! @neuroethology.org @brainevolutionnews.bsky.social @prelights.bsky.social @tibbe-evolneuro.bsky.social #brainevolution #heliconius #centralcomplex
biorxiv.org
Distinct evolutionary trajectories of two integration centres, the central complex and mushroom bodies, across Heliconiini butterflies
Neural circuits have evolved to produce cognitive processes that facilitate a species variable behavioural repertoire. Underlying this variation are evolutionary forces, such as selection, that operat...
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Reposted by José Antonio Borrero
Royal Society Publishing @royalsocietypublishing.org · 13/01/2025
We are excited to announce that the winner of this year’s #BiologyLetters #ECR Competition is Jose Borrero. Read "Weighting of sensory cues reflect changing patterns of visual investment during ecological divergence in Heliconius butterflies" here: ow.ly/UqYc50UCnVU @borreroja.bsky.social
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