Avian olfactory receptor gene repertoires: evidence for a well-developed sense of smell in birds?

• Published in: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
• Main Authors: Steiger, Silke S, Fidler, Andrew E, Valcu, Mihai, Kempenaers, Bart
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: The Royal Society 2008
• Subjects: Snow Petrel
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2008.0607; https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspb.2008.0607; https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rspb.2008.0607

Among vertebrates, the sense of smell is mediated by olfactory receptors (ORs) expressed in sensory neurons within the olfactory epithelium. Comparative genomic studies suggest that the olfactory acuity of mammalian species correlates positively with both the total number and the proportion of funct...