Recent natural selection causes adaptive evolution of an avian polygenic trait

Bosse, Mirte, Spurgin, Lewis G., Laine, Veronika N., Cole, Ella F., Firth, Josh A., Gienapp, Phillip, Gosler, Andrew G., McMahon, Keith, Poissant, Jocelyn, Verhagen, Irene, Groenen, Martien A. M., van Oers, Kees, Sheldon, Ben C., Visser, Marcel E. and Slate, Jon (2017) Recent natural selection causes adaptive evolution of an avian polygenic trait. Science, 358 (6361). pp. 365-368. ISSN 0036-8075

Preview

PDF (Accepted manuscript) - Accepted Version Download (979kB) | Preview

Abstract

We used extensive data from a long-term study of great tits (Parus major) in the United Kingdom and Netherlands to better understand how genetic signatures of selection translate into variation in fitness and phenotypes. We found that genomic regions under differential selection contained candidate genes for bill morphology and used genetic architecture analyses to confirm that these genes, especially the collagen gene COL4A5, explained variation in bill length. COL4A5 variation was associated with reproductive success, which, combined with spatiotemporal patterns of bill length, suggested ongoing selection for longer bills in the United Kingdom. Last, bill length and COL4A5 variation were associated with usage of feeders, suggesting that longer bills may have evolved in the United Kingdom as a response to supplementary feeding.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Copyright © 2017 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Biological Sciences
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Organisms and the Environment
Depositing User:	Pure Connector
Date Deposited:	25 Oct 2017 05:04
Last Modified:	24 Aug 2023 00:26
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/65252
DOI:	10.1126/science.aal3298

Downloads

Actions (login required)

View Item