The butterflies' abnormalities reported in this paper are potentially caused by 1) preexistent character of the populations, 2) inbreeding depression in laboratory, 3) environmental change after quake other than radioactive materials, 4) radioactive materials, and 5) other factors.
However, the sampling design is unbelievably bad, and the effects of above factors cannot be isolated.
For example, the number of female is very small (Spplementary Table 1), and the control population (Ube) is very distant (Fig. 1a).
In addition, similar abnormality of this butterfly is reported "before quake" by Otaki et al. (2010).
As written in this paper, the distribution area of this butterfly is expanding to the northward in recent years (Fig. 1), and color-pattern abnormality of the range-margin population was known.
The cause of color-pattern abnormality is considered to be low temperature in this paper.
More importantly, the corresponding authors of Otaki et al. (2010) and the focal paper is same.
The authors of the focal paper "must" know preexistent abnormality of this butterfly, but northern populations were not surveyed although they should be able to survey easily.
Thus, I concluded that this paper may be publicity seeking by the authors.
It has been very prosperous.
Slashdot Mirror
Hi all,
The butterflies' abnormalities reported in this paper are potentially caused by 1) preexistent character of the populations, 2) inbreeding depression in laboratory, 3) environmental change after quake other than radioactive materials, 4) radioactive materials, and 5) other factors. However, the sampling design is unbelievably bad, and the effects of above factors cannot be isolated. For example, the number of female is very small (Spplementary Table 1), and the control population (Ube) is very distant (Fig. 1a).
In addition, similar abnormality of this butterfly is reported "before quake" by Otaki et al. (2010). As written in this paper, the distribution area of this butterfly is expanding to the northward in recent years (Fig. 1), and color-pattern abnormality of the range-margin population was known. The cause of color-pattern abnormality is considered to be low temperature in this paper.
More importantly, the corresponding authors of Otaki et al. (2010) and the focal paper is same. The authors of the focal paper "must" know preexistent abnormality of this butterfly, but northern populations were not surveyed although they should be able to survey easily.
Thus, I concluded that this paper may be publicity seeking by the authors. It has been very prosperous.