Genomic differences in two bird
subspecies shed new light on mechanics of testosterone-mediated evolution
Date: June 15, 2016
Source: Indiana University
A pair of studies led by Indiana
University researchers provide new evidence that when it comes to evolution,
the testes may play a key role.
The research, led by Kimberly
Rosvall, assistant professor in the IU College of Arts and Sciences' Department
of Biology, finds that the testes -- or gonads -- have a greater impact than
previously thought in evolution. The research was conducted in two subspecies
of dark-eyed junco, a type of American sparrow.
The white-winged junco,
or Junco hyemalis aikeni, is found in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The
slate-colored junco, or Junco hyemalis carolinensis, is from the Appalachian
Mountains in Virginia. The first is larger and more aggressive; the other is
smaller and more docile.
The studies are published in the
journals of Hormones and Behavior and of Integrative and
Comparative Biology.
The first paper compares the
subspecies in their expression of enzymes that make testosterone within the
gonad. The second paper investigates how the subspecies' gonads differ in the
expression of stress hormone receptor genes, which are known to lower
testosterone.
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