Conserved Genetic Basis of a Quantitative Plumage Trait Involved in Mate Choice
A key question in evolutionary genetics is whether shared genetic mechanisms underlie the independent evolution of similar phenotypes across phylogenetically divergent lineages. Here we show that in two classic examples of melanic plumage polymorphisms in birds, lesser snow geese ( Anser c. caerules...
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American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1093834 https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.1093834 |
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craaas:10.1126/science.1093834 2024-09-15T18:37:43+00:00 Conserved Genetic Basis of a Quantitative Plumage Trait Involved in Mate Choice Mundy, Nicholas I. Badcock, Nichola S. Hart, Tom Scribner, Kim Janssen, Kirstin Nadeau, Nicola J. 2004 http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1093834 https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.1093834 en eng American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science volume 303, issue 5665, page 1870-1873 ISSN 0036-8075 1095-9203 journal-article 2004 craaas https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1093834 2024-08-01T04:00:48Z A key question in evolutionary genetics is whether shared genetic mechanisms underlie the independent evolution of similar phenotypes across phylogenetically divergent lineages. Here we show that in two classic examples of melanic plumage polymorphisms in birds, lesser snow geese ( Anser c. caerulescens ) and arctic skuas ( Stercorarius parasiticus ), melanism is perfectly associated with variation in the melanocortin-1 receptor ( MC1R ) gene. In both species, the degree of melanism correlates with the number of copies of variant MC1R alleles. Phylogenetic reconstructions of variant MC1R alleles in geese and skuas show that melanism is a derived trait that evolved in the Pleistocene. Article in Journal/Newspaper Stercorarius parasiticus AAAS Resource Center (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Science 303 5665 1870 1873 |
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Open Polar |
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AAAS Resource Center (American Association for the Advancement of Science) |
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English |
description |
A key question in evolutionary genetics is whether shared genetic mechanisms underlie the independent evolution of similar phenotypes across phylogenetically divergent lineages. Here we show that in two classic examples of melanic plumage polymorphisms in birds, lesser snow geese ( Anser c. caerulescens ) and arctic skuas ( Stercorarius parasiticus ), melanism is perfectly associated with variation in the melanocortin-1 receptor ( MC1R ) gene. In both species, the degree of melanism correlates with the number of copies of variant MC1R alleles. Phylogenetic reconstructions of variant MC1R alleles in geese and skuas show that melanism is a derived trait that evolved in the Pleistocene. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Mundy, Nicholas I. Badcock, Nichola S. Hart, Tom Scribner, Kim Janssen, Kirstin Nadeau, Nicola J. |
spellingShingle |
Mundy, Nicholas I. Badcock, Nichola S. Hart, Tom Scribner, Kim Janssen, Kirstin Nadeau, Nicola J. Conserved Genetic Basis of a Quantitative Plumage Trait Involved in Mate Choice |
author_facet |
Mundy, Nicholas I. Badcock, Nichola S. Hart, Tom Scribner, Kim Janssen, Kirstin Nadeau, Nicola J. |
author_sort |
Mundy, Nicholas I. |
title |
Conserved Genetic Basis of a Quantitative Plumage Trait Involved in Mate Choice |
title_short |
Conserved Genetic Basis of a Quantitative Plumage Trait Involved in Mate Choice |
title_full |
Conserved Genetic Basis of a Quantitative Plumage Trait Involved in Mate Choice |
title_fullStr |
Conserved Genetic Basis of a Quantitative Plumage Trait Involved in Mate Choice |
title_full_unstemmed |
Conserved Genetic Basis of a Quantitative Plumage Trait Involved in Mate Choice |
title_sort |
conserved genetic basis of a quantitative plumage trait involved in mate choice |
publisher |
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) |
publishDate |
2004 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1093834 https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.1093834 |
genre |
Stercorarius parasiticus |
genre_facet |
Stercorarius parasiticus |
op_source |
Science volume 303, issue 5665, page 1870-1873 ISSN 0036-8075 1095-9203 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1093834 |
container_title |
Science |
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303 |
container_issue |
5665 |
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1870 |
op_container_end_page |
1873 |
_version_ |
1810482074380926976 |