Chromosome banding studies of the osprey Pandion haliaetus (Aves, Falconiformes)

• Published in: Genome
• Main Authors: Kohler, C. Deborah, Schaadt, Charles P., Vekemans, Michel J. J.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1989
• Subjects: Genetics; Molecular Biology; General Medicine; Biotechnology; Long Arm; osprey; Pandion haliaetus
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/g89-549; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/g89-549

The karyotype of the osprey Pandion haliaetus was studied using GTG, CBG, and NOR banding techniques on fibroblast cells derived from skin tissue cultures. Autosome pairs 1–25, Z, and W were identified by their GTG banding patterns. The remaining 11 pairs could not be identified individually because of their similarity and small size. CBG bands were restricted to the centromere region of each chromosome, including the W chromosome, which did not show an extensive C-positive region typical of most birds. Silver NOR banding revealed the presence of a nucleolar organizing region on chromosome 2 located at the secondary constriction near the proximal end of the long arm. The position of this nucleolar organizing region appears unique among Aves and may serve as a marker for tracing the phylogenetic origin of this monotypic family. No clear relationship to other Falconiformes was evident in the karyotype, although similarities to Accipitridae were found.Key words: osprey, Pandion haliaetus, karyotype, GTG bands, CBG bands, Ag-NOR bands.