Supergene linked to ruff bird collars

Research into a distinctive bird has found a genetic quirk that gives rise to three types of male in the same species.

Scientists have identified a supergene in the birds’ DNA that is solely responsible for three different kinds of males found among ruffs.

Species variety

Male ruffs can either have feathered collars - used in mating displays - or not, and either defend a territory or sneakily hang out on other males’ territories.

This gives rise to three types of the wading bird: collared, territorial independents, collared, non-territorial satellites, and non-collared, non-territorial feeders.

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Genetic evidence shows penguins have 'bad taste'

Date:

February 16, 2015

Source:

Cell Press

Summary:

Penguins apparently can't enjoy or even detect the savory taste of the fish they eat or the sweet taste of fruit. A new analysis of the genetic evidence suggests that the flightless, waddling birds have lost three of the five basic tastes over evolutionary time. For them, it appears, food comes in only two flavors: salty and sour.

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Genetic distinctness to guide global bird conservation

A Yale-led research team has developed a new approach to species conservation that prioritizes genetic and geographic rarity and applied it to all 9,993 known bird species.

"To date, conservation has emphasized the number of species, treating all species as equal," said Walter Jetz, the Yale evolutionary biologist who is lead author of a paper published April 10 in Current Biology. "But not all species are equal in their genetic or geographic rarity. We provide a framework for how such species information could be used for prioritizing conservation."

Worldwide, nearly 600 species of birds are currently in danger of becoming extinct as the result of human development pressures and environmental changes. Conserving genetically distinct and threatened species is especially challenging, Jetz said, because many of these are far from species-rich areas that are already being protected

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Unscrambling the Genetics of the Chicken's 'Blue' Egg

Aug. 20, 2013 — Researchers at The University of Nottingham have unscrambled the genetic mutation that gives the distinctive blue eggs laid by some breeds of chickens.

They are the latest foodie fashion and look set to become big business in the baking aisles of all the major supermarkets -- the blue egg produced by some chickens is prettier and some say tastier and cleaner-breaking than the traditional brown one -- and now, thanks to scientists from The University of Nottingham, we know what caused the eggs in some breeds to turn this unusual colour.

In a four-year research project just published in the journal, PLOS ONE, the team from the School of Biology, has identified the genetic mutation which first produced the blue egg in native South American chicken, the Mapuche fowl, and their European descendants, Araucana between 200 and 500 years ago. The results could inform future research into agricultural breeding techniques if demand for the blue egg continues to grow.

The scientists used the unique genetic resources conserved by heritage or 'fancy' poultry breeders to identify at fine resolution the exact location of the mutation in the genome in blue egg laying chicken. This work was followed by further genomic study which revealed the genetic cause of the blue coloured egg shell -- surprisingly -- an ancient harmless retrovirus in the domestic chicken.

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