The Pieris Project

This project involves the pesky Pieris rapae (better known as the white butterfly or white cabbage butterfly), which is very common in New Zealand. It is believed to have originated in Europe and is now found in many parts of the world. Researchers have been DNA profiling the butterflies that have been caught and sent in by citizen scientists. They have been able to determine their ancestry and therefore where they originated from, in the same way human DNA can tell us about our own ancestry.

Scientists are not only interested in the spread of white butterflies globally but the variation that occurs between them. This provides an insight into how these butterflies respond to environmental change. With strong links to adaptation, genetics and variation, this project is especially suited to high school students and has direct relevance to level 2 Biology AS 91157.

URL: www.pierisproject.org

Reach: Worldwide

Nature of science focus: Online citizen science (OCS) projects can be used to develop any of the Nature of Science (NoS) substrands. Identify aspects of NoS that your students need to get better at or understand more fully and then frame your unit to be very clear about these things when you do them.

Science capability focus: Interpret representations

Science focus: adaptation, genetics, variation, climate change

Some suggested science concepts:

• Adaptation is the ability to change in response to environmental conditions.
• Genetic variations within a species give individual characteristics.
• The changes that occur during the life of an individual result from environmental and genetic influences.

Many concepts could be learned – focusing on a few can often be more powerful. Develop your learning outcomes and success criteria from these concepts as well as the Nature of Science strand and the science capabilities.

Some examples of learning outcomes:

Students can:

• interpret representations to discuss the origin of their own Pieris rapae sample
• relate variation between Pieris rapae to differing genetic and environmental influences
• demonstrate understanding of adaptation in Pieris rapae
• explore ethics in science research.

Our goal is to partner with the public to create the most comprehensive collection of a single species of butterfly that will act as a powerful tool for studying how organisms adapt to changes in their environment.

The Pieris Project

About The Pieris Project

Pieris rapae, commonly called the white or white cabbage butterfly, is a most successful invader. To invade different environments, the white butterfly has had to overcome different pressures, such as changes in climate, varying food sources, and competitors and predators.

This project has citizen scientists capturing and geolocating white cabbage butterflies before humanely killing them and posting them to the researchers in the USA. Once there, the researchers extract sample DNA to look for genes that have helped the white butterfly adapt to these pressures, such as genes involved in adaptation to climate, the detoxifying of plant chemicals (those they eat) and dealing with new predators and bacteria they may be encountering. It takes about a month to get the DNA testing results. This information helps the researchers understand how the genomes of these butterflies has been shaped by their environment, including your backyard or school yard!

This project sets out to explore the answers to three main questions.

• How did the white butterfly spread across the world?
• How has the white butterfly adapted (evolved) to the new environments it was introduced to?
• How has the phenotype (colour, shape, size) of the white butterfly changed as it has moved into new environments?

This project could be used at the primary level especially in developing understanding about the way that species adapt or change over time in order to survive in their environment. For example, having samples from all over the world can show the white butterfly changing colour ever so slightly. The butterflies citizen scientists send in assist the project team to look at how the shape, size and colour of these butterflies change depending on where they live. This has links to the way some species may adapt to climate change by producing less dark pigment (black) so that they absorb less heat from the Sun to avoid overheating in really warm climates.

The level of complexity can easily be extended as the project also provides ample opportunity to sit alongside senior biology as an introduction to genetic variation. There is considerable content support at that level also.

The researchers are available for contact. Data has already been given and analysed from New Zealand, giving this project a national yet global feel – although having more samples sent year on year adds to the depth of information available to monitor small changes over time. So have a go!

The sharing of results and research data, which is freely available on the website, offers rich opportunities for developing students’ ability in the science capability ‘Interpret representations’. The Results page discusses scientific uncertainty, especially in regard to the creation of models based on the data (white butterflies) that citizen scientists have sent in.

The Cool Stuff page has some very useful resource and reading material, especially for more senior students.