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Leveraging CyVerse Resources for De Novo Comparative Transcriptomics of Underserved Non-model Organisms
Published on: May 9, 2017
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Evolution of beak morphology in the Ground Tit revealed by comparative transcriptomics
Yalin Cheng1,2, Bin Gao1, Haitao Wang3
1Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China.
Frontiers in Zoology
|January 5, 2018
Summary
The Ground Tit
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Developmental biology
- Ornithology
Background:
- Bird beak morphology shows adaptive plasticity.
- The Ground Tit (Parus humilis), endemic to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, has a unique long, curved beak.
- This study investigates the evolutionary and developmental basis of this adaptation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To understand the evolutionary and developmental mechanisms behind the Ground Tit's specialized beak.
- To identify genetic factors contributing to beak morphology in this species.
Main Methods:
- Morphometric analysis to quantify beak shape differences.
- Ancestral state reconstruction to infer ancestral beak morphology.
- Comparative transcriptomics between Ground Tit and Great Tit.
- Gene expression validation using RT-qPCR.
- Functional assays in chicken embryos.
Main Results:
- Ground Tit possesses significantly longer, more decurved upper beaks than related species.
- Transcriptomic analysis revealed 623 differentially expressed genes in embryonic beaks, with 17 linked to bone development.
- Two genes, FGF13 and ITGB3, were found to influence beak morphology by modulating osteoblast and osteoclast activity.
Conclusions:
- The Ground Tit's long, curved beak is likely regulated by multiple genes controlling bone cell activity.
- This study integrates multiple approaches to illuminate avian morphological evolution.
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