Genomic Evidence for Sensorial Adaptations to a Nocturnal Predatory Lifestyle in Owls
| Autor: | Martina Carrete, Stefan Boerno, Bart Kempenaers, Pamela Espíndola‐Hernández, Jakob C. Mueller |
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| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
AcademicSubjects/SCI01140
0106 biological sciences Candidate gene Adaptation Biological comparative genomics Nocturnal Biology 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences 03 medical and health sciences Hearing positive selection parasitic diseases Genetics Animals night-active Selection Genetic Phylogeny Vision Ocular Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics 030304 developmental biology Comparative genomics 0303 health sciences Genome AcademicSubjects/SCI01130 Strigiformes Biological Evolution Circadian Rhythm Sexual dimorphism raptor Evolutionary biology Plumage Predatory Behavior Feather visual_art visual_art.visual_art_medium Adaptation psychological phenomena and processes Research Article genome-wide analysis |
| Zdroj: | Genome Biology and Evolution |
| ISSN: | 1759-6653 |
| Popis: | Owls (Strigiformes) evolved specific adaptations to their nocturnal predatory lifestyle, such as asymmetrical ears, a facial disk, and a feather structure allowing silent flight. Owls also share some traits with diurnal raptors and other nocturnal birds, such as cryptic plumage patterns, reversed sexual size dimorphism, and acute vision and hearing. The genetic basis of some of these adaptations to a nocturnal predatory lifestyle has been studied by candidate gene approaches but rarely with genome-wide scans. Here, we used a genome-wide comparative analysis to test for selection in the early history of the owls. We estimated the substitution rates in the coding regions of 20 bird genomes, including 11 owls of which five were newly sequenced. Then, we tested for functional overrepresentation across the genes that showed signals of selection. In the ancestral branch of the owls, we found traces of positive selection in the evolution of genes functionally related to visual perception, especially to phototransduction, and to chromosome packaging. Several genes that have been previously linked to acoustic perception, circadian rhythm, and feather structure also showed signals of an accelerated evolution in the origin of the owls. We discuss the functions of the genes under positive selection and their putative association with the adaptation to the nocturnal predatory lifestyle of the owls. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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