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Wang S, Wu L, Zhu Q, Wu J, Tang S, Zhao Y, Cheng Y, Zhang D, Qiao G, Zhang R, Lei F. Trait Variation and Spatiotemporal Dynamics across Avian Secondary Contact Zones. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:643. [PMID: 39194581 DOI: 10.3390/biology13080643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2024] [Revised: 08/16/2024] [Accepted: 08/20/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024]
Abstract
A secondary contact zone (SCZ) is an area where incipient species or divergent populations may meet, mate, and hybridize. Due to the diverse patterns of interspecific hybridization, SCZs function as field labs for illuminating the on-going evolutionary processes of speciation and the establishment of reproductive isolation. Interspecific hybridization is widely present in avian populations, making them an ideal system for SCZ studies. This review exhaustively summarizes the variations in unique traits within avian SCZs (vocalization, plumage, beak, and migratory traits) and the various movement patterns of SCZs observed in previous publications. It also highlights several potential future research directions in the genomic era, such as the relationship between phenotypic and genomic differentiation in SCZs, the genomic basis of trait differentiation, SCZs shared by multiple species, and accurate predictive models for forecasting future movements under climate change and human disturbances. This review aims to provide a more comprehensive understanding of speciation processes and offers a theoretical foundation for species conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shangyu Wang
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Lei Wu
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Qianghui Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jiahao Wu
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China
| | - Shiyu Tang
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yifang Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yalin Cheng
- College of Life Sciences, Institute of Life Science and Green Development, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China
| | - Dezhi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Gexia Qiao
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Runzhi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Fumin Lei
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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Helm B, Liedvogel M. Avian migration clocks in a changing world. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2024; 210:691-716. [PMID: 38305877 PMCID: PMC11226503 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-023-01688-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
Avian long-distance migration requires refined programming to orchestrate the birds' movements on annual temporal and continental spatial scales. Programming is particularly important as long-distance movements typically anticipate future environmental conditions. Hence, migration has long been of particular interest in chronobiology. Captivity studies using a proxy, the shift to nocturnality during migration seasons (i.e., migratory restlessness), have revealed circannual and circadian regulation, as well as an innate sense of direction. Thanks to rapid development of tracking technology, detailed information from free-flying birds, including annual-cycle data and actograms, now allows relating this mechanistic background to behaviour in the wild. Likewise, genomic approaches begin to unravel the many physiological pathways that contribute to migration. Despite these advances, it is still unclear how migration programmes are integrated with specific environmental conditions experienced during the journey. Such knowledge is imminently important as temporal environments undergo rapid anthropogenic modification. Migratory birds as a group are not dealing well with the changes, yet some species show remarkable adjustments at behavioural and genetic levels. Integrated research programmes and interdisciplinary collaborations are needed to understand the range of responses of migratory birds to environmental change, and more broadly, the functioning of timing programmes under natural conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Helm
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Bird Migration Unit, Seerose 1, CH-6204, Sempach, Schweiz.
| | - Miriam Liedvogel
- Institute of Avian Research, An Der Vogelwarte 21, 26386, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
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Recuerda M, Campagna L. How structural variants shape avian phenotypes: Lessons from model systems. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17364. [PMID: 38651830 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Despite receiving significant recent attention, the relevance of structural variation (SV) in driving phenotypic diversity remains understudied, although recent advances in long-read sequencing, bioinformatics and pangenomic approaches have enhanced SV detection. We review the role of SVs in shaping phenotypes in avian model systems, and identify some general patterns in SV type, length and their associated traits. We found that most of the avian SVs so far identified are short indels in chickens, which are frequently associated with changes in body weight and plumage colouration. Overall, we found that relatively short SVs are more frequently detected, likely due to a combination of their prevalence compared to large SVs, and a detection bias, stemming primarily from the widespread use of short-read sequencing and associated analytical methods. SVs most commonly involve non-coding regions, especially introns, and when patterns of inheritance were reported, SVs associated primarily with dominant discrete traits. We summarise several examples of phenotypic convergence across different species, mediated by different SVs in the same or different genes and different types of changes in the same gene that can lead to various phenotypes. Complex rearrangements and supergenes, which can simultaneously affect and link several genes, tend to have pleiotropic phenotypic effects. Additionally, SVs commonly co-occur with single-nucleotide polymorphisms, highlighting the need to consider all types of genetic changes to understand the basis of phenotypic traits. We end by summarising expectations for when long-read technologies become commonly implemented in non-model birds, likely leading to an increase in SV discovery and characterisation. The growing interest in this subject suggests an increase in our understanding of the phenotypic effects of SVs in upcoming years.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Recuerda
- Fuller Evolutionary Biology Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Leonardo Campagna
- Fuller Evolutionary Biology Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
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Justen HC, Easton WE, Delmore KE. Mapping seasonal migration in a songbird hybrid zone -- heritability, genetic correlations, and genomic patterns linked to speciation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2313442121. [PMID: 38648483 PMCID: PMC11067064 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2313442121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Seasonal migration is a widespread behavior relevant for adaptation and speciation, yet knowledge of its genetic basis is limited. We leveraged advances in tracking and sequencing technologies to bridge this gap in a well-characterized hybrid zone between songbirds that differ in migratory behavior. Migration requires the coordinated action of many traits, including orientation, timing, and wing morphology. We used genetic mapping to show these traits are highly heritable and genetically correlated, explaining how migration has evolved so rapidly in the past and suggesting future responses to climate change may be possible. Many of these traits mapped to the same genomic regions and small structural variants indicating the same, or tightly linked, genes underlie them. Analyses integrating transcriptomic data indicate cholinergic receptors could control multiple traits. Furthermore, analyses integrating genomic differentiation further suggested genes underlying migratory traits help maintain reproductive isolation in this hybrid zone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah C. Justen
- Biology Department, Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University, TAMUCollege Station, TX3528
| | - Wendy E. Easton
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service-Pacific Region, Delta, BCV4K 3N2, Canada
| | - Kira E. Delmore
- Biology Department, Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University, TAMUCollege Station, TX3528
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Poikela N, Laetsch DR, Hoikkala V, Lohse K, Kankare M. Chromosomal Inversions and the Demography of Speciation in Drosophila montana and Drosophila flavomontana. Genome Biol Evol 2024; 16:evae024. [PMID: 38482698 PMCID: PMC10972691 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evae024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Chromosomal inversions may play a central role in speciation given their ability to locally reduce recombination and therefore genetic exchange between diverging populations. We analyzed long- and short-read whole-genome data from sympatric and allopatric populations of 2 Drosophila virilis group species, Drosophila montana and Drosophila flavomontana, to understand if inversions have contributed to their divergence. We identified 3 large alternatively fixed inversions on the X chromosome and one on each of the autosomes 4 and 5. A comparison of demographic models estimated for inverted and noninverted (colinear) chromosomal regions suggests that these inversions arose before the time of the species split. We detected a low rate of interspecific gene flow (introgression) from D. montana to D. flavomontana, which was further reduced inside inversions and was lower in allopatric than in sympatric populations. Together, these results suggest that the inversions were already present in the common ancestral population and that gene exchange between the sister taxa was reduced within inversions both before and after the onset of species divergence. Such ancestrally polymorphic inversions may foster speciation by allowing the accumulation of genetic divergence in loci involved in adaptation and reproductive isolation inside inversions early in the speciation process, while gene exchange at colinear regions continues until the evolving reproductive barriers complete speciation. The overlapping X inversions are particularly good candidates for driving the speciation process of D. montana and D. flavomontana, since they harbor strong genetic incompatibilities that were detected in a recent study of experimental introgression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noora Poikela
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, FI-40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Dominik R Laetsch
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Ville Hoikkala
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, FI-40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Konrad Lohse
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Maaria Kankare
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, FI-40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
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Gu Z, Dixon A, Zhan X. Genetics and Evolution of Bird Migration. Annu Rev Anim Biosci 2024; 12:21-43. [PMID: 37906839 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-animal-021122-092239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Bird migration has long been a subject of fascination for humankind and is a behavior that is both intricate and multifaceted. In recent years, advances in technology, particularly in the fields of genomics and animal tracking, have enabled significant progress in our understanding of this phenomenon. In this review, we provide an overview of the latest advancements in the genetics of bird migration, with a particular focus on genomics, and examine various factors that contribute to the evolution of this behavior, including climate change. Integration of research from the fields of genomics, ecology, and evolution can enhance our comprehension of the complex mechanisms involved in bird migration and inform conservation efforts in a rapidly changing world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongru Gu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China;
- Cardiff University-Institute of Zoology Joint Laboratory for Biocomplexity Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Andrew Dixon
- Mohamed Bin Zayed Raptor Conservation Fund, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Xiangjiang Zhan
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China;
- Cardiff University-Institute of Zoology Joint Laboratory for Biocomplexity Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
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O’Connor RE, Kretschmer R, Romanov MN, Griffin DK. A Bird's-Eye View of Chromosomic Evolution in the Class Aves. Cells 2024; 13:310. [PMID: 38391923 PMCID: PMC10886771 DOI: 10.3390/cells13040310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Revised: 01/27/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Birds (Aves) are the most speciose of terrestrial vertebrates, displaying Class-specific characteristics yet incredible external phenotypic diversity. Critical to agriculture and as model organisms, birds have adapted to many habitats. The only extant examples of dinosaurs, birds emerged ~150 mya and >10% are currently threatened with extinction. This review is a comprehensive overview of avian genome ("chromosomic") organization research based mostly on chromosome painting and BAC-based studies. We discuss traditional and contemporary tools for reliably generating chromosome-level assemblies and analyzing multiple species at a higher resolution and wider phylogenetic distance than previously possible. These results permit more detailed investigations into inter- and intrachromosomal rearrangements, providing unique insights into evolution and speciation mechanisms. The 'signature' avian karyotype likely arose ~250 mya and remained largely unchanged in most groups including extinct dinosaurs. Exceptions include Psittaciformes, Falconiformes, Caprimulgiformes, Cuculiformes, Suliformes, occasional Passeriformes, Ciconiiformes, and Pelecaniformes. The reasons for this remarkable conservation may be the greater diploid chromosome number generating variation (the driver of natural selection) through a greater possible combination of gametes and/or an increase in recombination rate. A deeper understanding of avian genomic structure permits the exploration of fundamental biological questions pertaining to the role of evolutionary breakpoint regions and homologous synteny blocks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca E. O’Connor
- School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NJ, UK; (R.E.O.); (M.N.R.)
| | - Rafael Kretschmer
- Departamento de Ecologia, Zoologia e Genética, Instituto de Biologia, Campus Universitário Capão do Leão, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas 96010-900, RS, Brazil;
| | - Michael N. Romanov
- School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NJ, UK; (R.E.O.); (M.N.R.)
- L. K. Ernst Federal Research Centre for Animal Husbandry, Dubrovitsy, 142132 Podolsk, Moscow Oblast, Russia
| | - Darren K. Griffin
- School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NJ, UK; (R.E.O.); (M.N.R.)
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