A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Candidate genes for colour and vision exhibit signals of selection across the pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) breeding range
Authors: Lehtonen PK, Laaksonen T, Artemyev AV, Belskii E, Berg PR, Both C, Buggiotti L, Bures S, Burgess MD, Bushuev AV, Krams I, Moreno J, Magi M, Nord A, Potti J, Ravussin PA, Sirkiä PM, Saetre GP, Winkel W, Primmer CR
Publisher: NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP
Publication year: 2012
Journal: Heredity
Journal name in source: HEREDITY
Journal acronym: HEREDITY
Number in series: 4
Volume: 108
Issue: 4
First page : 431
Last page: 440
Number of pages: 10
ISSN: 0018-067X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.2011.93
Abstract
The role of natural selection in shaping adaptive trait differentiation in natural populations has long been recognized. Determining its molecular basis, however, remains a challenge. Here, we search for signals of selection in candidate genes for colour and its perception in a passerine bird. Pied flycatcher plumage varies geographically in both its structural and pigment-based properties. Both characteristics appear to be shaped by selection. A single-locus outlier test revealed 2 of 14 loci to show significantly elevated signals of divergence. The first of these, the follistatin gene, is expressed in the developing feather bud and is found in pathways with genes that determine the structure of feathers and may thus be important in generating variation in structural colouration. The second is a gene potentially underlying the ability to detect this variation: SWS1 opsin. These two loci were most differentiated in two Spanish pied flycatcher populations, which are also among the populations that have the highest UV reflectance. The follistatin and SWS1 opsin genes thus provide strong candidates for future investigations on the molecular basis of adaptively significant traits and their co-evolution. Heredity (2012) 108, 431-440; doi:10.1038/hdy.2011.93; published online 26 October 2011
The role of natural selection in shaping adaptive trait differentiation in natural populations has long been recognized. Determining its molecular basis, however, remains a challenge. Here, we search for signals of selection in candidate genes for colour and its perception in a passerine bird. Pied flycatcher plumage varies geographically in both its structural and pigment-based properties. Both characteristics appear to be shaped by selection. A single-locus outlier test revealed 2 of 14 loci to show significantly elevated signals of divergence. The first of these, the follistatin gene, is expressed in the developing feather bud and is found in pathways with genes that determine the structure of feathers and may thus be important in generating variation in structural colouration. The second is a gene potentially underlying the ability to detect this variation: SWS1 opsin. These two loci were most differentiated in two Spanish pied flycatcher populations, which are also among the populations that have the highest UV reflectance. The follistatin and SWS1 opsin genes thus provide strong candidates for future investigations on the molecular basis of adaptively significant traits and their co-evolution. Heredity (2012) 108, 431-440; doi:10.1038/hdy.2011.93; published online 26 October 2011
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