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Ecology and Evolution
Panama
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Ecology and Evolution

D-Index
64
Citations
15279
World Ranking
1865
National Ranking
9

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Ecology and Evolution in Panama Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Ecology and Evolution in Panama Leader Award

Overview

W. Owen McMillan is affiliated with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. Their research primarily spans Agricultural and Biological Sciences as well as Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology. The scientist's work focuses on several subfields including Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Genetics, Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, Plant Science, and Molecular Biology.

The research topics addressed by McMillan cover a range of biological and ecological themes. These include:

  • Plant and animal studies
  • Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy
  • Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
  • Animal Behavior and Reproduction
  • Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
  • Genetic diversity and population structure
  • Species Distribution and Climate Change

Frequent co-authors in McMillan's publications include Stephen H. Montgomery, Chris D. Jiggins, Riccardo Papa, Richard M. Merrill, and Steven M. Van Belleghem. These collaborations indicate a strong network within evolutionary biology and genetics research communities.

McMillan has published extensively in several scientific venues. The prominent publication outlets include:

  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
  • Ecology and Evolution
  • Nature Communications
  • Evolution

The scientist's recent papers illustrate a focus on evolutionary genetics, speciation, and biodiversity in tropical environments. Selected notable papers are:

  • "Hybrid speciation driven by multilocus introgression of ecological traits", 2024, Nature
  • "Evolutionary dynamics of genome size and content during the adaptive radiation of Heliconiini butterflies", 2023, Nature Communications
  • "Haplotype tagging reveals parallel formation of hybrid races in two butterfly species", 2021, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
  • "Cortex cis-regulatory switches establish scale colour identity and pattern diversity in Heliconius", 2021, eLife
  • "Environmental DNA survey captures patterns of fish and invertebrate diversity across a tropical seascape", 2020, Scientific Reports

McMillan's research involves investigating genetic and ecological mechanisms shaping biodiversity, with a focus on butterfly species and tropical ecosystems. Their work integrates molecular biology techniques, environmental DNA analysis, and evolutionary theory to better understand speciation processes and organismal adaptation.

Best Publications

  • The simple fool's guide to PCR

    B. Kessing;H. Croom;A. Martin;C. McIntosh

  • Butterfly genome reveals promiscuous exchange of mimicry adaptations among species

    Kanchon K. Dasmahapatra;James R. Walters;Adriana D. Briscoe

  • Genomic architecture and introgression shape a butterfly radiation

    Nathaniel B. Edelman;Paul B. Frandsen;Paul B. Frandsen;Michael Miyagi;Bernardo Clavijo

  • optix Drives the Repeated Convergent Evolution of Butterfly Wing Pattern Mimicry

    Robert D. Reed;Riccardo Papa;Riccardo Papa;Arnaud Martin;Heather M. Hines

  • Adaptive introgression across species boundaries in Heliconius butterflies.

    Carolina Pardo-Diaz;Camilo Salazar;Camilo Salazar;Simon W. Baxter;Claire Merot

  • A conserved supergene locus controls colour pattern diversity in Heliconius butterflies.

    Mathieu Joron;Mathieu Joron;Mathieu Joron;Riccardo Papa;Margarita Beltrán;Nicola Chamberlain

  • Diversification of complex butterfly wing patterns by repeated regulatory evolution of a Wnt ligand

    Arnaud Martin;Riccardo Papa;Nicola J. Nadeau;Ryan I. Hill

  • Concordant evolutionary patterns among Indo-West Pacific butterflyfishes.

    W. Owen Mcmillan;Stephen R. Palumbi

  • The gene cortex controls mimicry and crypsis in butterflies and moths

    Nicola J. Nadeau;Nicola J. Nadeau;Carolina Pardo-Diaz;Annabel Whibley;Annabel Whibley;Megan A. Supple;Megan A. Supple

  • Selection-driven evolution of emergent dengue virus.

    Shannon N. Bennett;Edward C. Holmes;Maritza Chirivella;Dania M. Rodriguez

  • Phylogenetic Discordance at the Species Boundary: Comparative Gene Genealogies Among Rapidly Radiating Heliconius Butterflies

    Margarita Beltrán;Chris D. Jiggins;Vanessa Bull;Mauricio Linares

  • Complex modular architecture around a simple toolkit of wing pattern genes

    Steven M Van Belleghem;Steven M Van Belleghem;Pasi Rastas;Alexie Papanicolaou;Simon H Martin

  • Blastocystis subtyping and its association with intestinal parasites in children from different geographical regions of Colombia

    Camilo Salazar;Van Belleghem Sm;Rastas P;Papanicolaou A

  • COLOR PATTERN EVOLUTION, ASSORTATIVE MATING, AND GENETIC DIFFERENTIATION IN BRIGHTLY COLORED BUTTERFLYFISHES (CHAETODONTIDAE).

    W. Owen McMillan;W. Owen McMillan;Lee A. Weigt;Stephen R. Palumbi

  • Metamorphosis of a butterfly-associated bacterial community.

    Tobin J. Hammer;Tobin J. Hammer;W. Owen McMillan;Noah Fierer

  • Evolutionary Novelty in a Butterfly Wing Pattern through Enhancer Shuffling.

    Richard W. R. Wallbank;Richard W. R. Wallbank;Simon W. Baxter;Carolina Pardo-Diaz;Carolina Pardo-Diaz;Carolina Pardo-Diaz;Joseph J. Hanly;Joseph J. Hanly

  • Macroevolutionary shifts of WntA function potentiate butterfly wing-pattern diversity

    Anyi Mazo-Vargas;Carolina Concha;Luca Livraghi;Darli Massardo

  • Rapid Rate of Control-Region Evolution in Pacific Butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae)

    W. Owen McMillan;Stephen R. Palumbi

  • POPULATION GENETIC CONSEQUENCES OF DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION IN SEA URCHINS (GENUS HELIOCIDARIS)

    W. Owen McMillan;Rudolf A. Raff;Stephen R. Palumbi

  • What can hybrid zones tell us about speciation? The case of Heliconius erato and H. himera (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

    Chris D. Jiggins;W. Owen McMillan;Walter Neukirchen;James Mallet

Frequent Co-Authors

Chris D. Jiggins
Chris D. Jiggins University of Cambridge
Camilo Salazar
Camilo Salazar Universidad del Rosario
James Mallet
James Mallet Harvard University
Mathieu Joron
Mathieu Joron University of Montpellier
Robert D. Reed
Robert D. Reed Cornell University
Marcus R. Kronforst
Marcus R. Kronforst University of Chicago
Kanchon K. Dasmahapatra
Kanchon K. Dasmahapatra University of York
Noah Fierer
Noah Fierer University of Colorado Boulder
Andrew H. Altieri
Andrew H. Altieri University of Florida
Mark Blaxter
Mark Blaxter Wellcome Sanger Institute

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