Article
Evolutionary Biology
Dustin R. Rubenstein, Andre Corvelo, Matthew D. MacManes, Rafael Maia, Giuseppe Narzisi, Anastasia Rousaki, Peter Vandenabeele, Matthew D. Shawkey, Joseph Solomon, Bridgett VonHoldt
Summary: Iridescence is found in a wide range of organisms, with birds displaying a variety of iridescent structural colors in their feathers. The development of iridescent and non-iridescent feathers in superb starlings involves differences in the arrangement and composition of melanosomes, and gene expression related to pigmentation, metabolism, and cellular organization. Iridescent feathers may form through a combination of passive self-assembly and active processes involving gene expression.
JOURNAL OF HEREDITY
(2021)
Review
Ecology
Tanja C. Zerulla, Philip K. Stoddard
Summary: Melanin-based color patterns provide a novel model for studying molecular and evolutionary mechanisms, with spotted morphs in G. holbrooki and X. variatus exhibiting higher stress resistance, basal cortisol levels, and selective advantage. Findings conflict on whether different morphs differ in sexual behavior and sexual selection, and spotted morphs show strong selective advantage in predation events.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Giovanni Franzo, William G. Dundon, Mari De Villiers, Lourens De Villiers, Lauren M. Coetzee, Siegfried Khaiseb, Giovanni Cattoli, Umberto Molini
Summary: Beak and feather disease virus (BFDV) poses a threat to both domesticated and wild psittacine species, and understanding the dynamics of viral transmission is crucial for controlling the spread of the disease. A study found that the virus primarily spreads from wild to domesticated bird populations, but there is also transmission from domesticated to wild species. Efforts should be made to prevent contact between wild and domesticated birds from different countries to control disease spread.
TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Evgenii Baiakhmetov, Cervin Guyomar, Ekaterina Shelest, Marcin Nobis, Polina D. Gudkova
Summary: Stipa capillata is the most widespread species within feather grasses, with economic importance as fodder plants. A draft genome was obtained using single-molecule long-read sequencing, revealing genetic features and evolutionary history, providing genetic data for further phylogeny, hybridisation, and population studies.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Matthew B. Toomey, Cristiana Marques, Pedro M. Araujo, Delai Huang, Siqiong Zhong, Yu Liu, Gretchen D. Schreiner, Connie A. Myers, Paulo Pereira, Sandra Afonso, Pedro Andrade, Malgorzata A. Gazda, Ricardo J. Lopes, Ivan Viegas, Rebecca E. Koch, Maureen E. Haynes, Dustin J. Smith, Yohey Ogawa, Daniel Murphy, Rachel E. Kopec, David M. Parichy, Miguel Carneiro, Joseph C. Corbo
Summary: This study reveals the mechanism of red color production in vertebrates and identifies the crucial roles of two enzymes and one protein.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Perumal Arumugam Desingu, Kumaresan Nagarajan
Summary: This study reports the detection of BFDV for the first time in exotic rainbow lorikeets in India and suggests that BFDV may cause host-specific infections. The phylogenetic and similarity plot analyses indicate the population specificity of BFDV complete genome sequences. Additionally, the coevolution analysis provides further insights into the BFDV-host relationship.
TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shenji Wu, Jinqiang Huang, Yongjuan Li, Lu Zhao, Zhe Liu
Summary: In this study, the skin transcriptomes of yellow mutant rainbow trout were analyzed to explore the temporal expression patterns of pigmentation-related genes. Numerous differentially expressed genes associated with pigmentation were identified, including those involved in pteridine and carotenoid synthesis as well as melanin synthesis pathways. The results enhance our understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying skin pigmentation in yellow mutant rainbow trout.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Review
Biology
Luodi Yu, Suiping Wang
Summary: Most infants later diagnosed with autism exhibit delayed or atypical language development. Research shows clear connections between abnormal auditory development and social communication deficits in autism, highlighting the need for systematic characterization of early auditory development in autism research.
SCIENCE CHINA-LIFE SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Fangting Qi, Yuting Liu, Yiliu Luo, Yumeng Cui, Chenfei Lu, Hao Li, He Huang, Silan Dai
Summary: This study investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying anthocyanin biosynthesis and bicolour formation in cineraria. The findings showed that ScAG and ScAGL11 negatively regulate anthocyanin biosynthesis in cineraria ray florets and their differential expression influences the bicolour pattern appearance.
HORTICULTURE RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Daniela Polic, Yeserin Yildirim, Roger Vila, Paulo Ricardo Ribeiro Cardoso, Markus Franzen, Anders Forsman
Summary: Understanding the impact of large-scale environmental variability on the distribution of phenotypic variation is vital in evolutionary biology. Comparative morphological study on three closely related butterfly species revealed common and species-specific associations of climatic and geographic factors with phenotypic variation. Wing size and coloration responded differently to environmental factors, and correlations between phenotypic traits were species-specific. The study highlighted the importance of comparative assessments of variation and showed that the effects of drivers of variability may vary between sister species.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mariel Young, Daniel Richard, Mark Grabowski, Benjamin M. Auerbach, Bernadette S. de Bakker, Jaco Hagoort, Pushpanathan Muthuirulan, Vismaya Kharkar, Helen K. Kurki, Lia Betti, Lyena Birkenstock, Kristi L. Lewton, Terence D. Capellini
Summary: In this study, researchers used functional genomics to investigate the developmental genetic mechanisms of human pelvic shape and identified a key gestational window when human-specific morphology becomes recognizable. They found evidence of ancient selection and genetic constraint on regulatory sequences involved in ilium expansion and growth, and showed that variation in iliac traits is reduced in humans compared to African apes.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Evan Twomey, Paulo Melo-Sampaio, Lisa M. Schulte, Franky Bossuyt, Jason L. Brown, Santiago Castroviejo-Fisher
Summary: Convergent evolution is the independent evolution of similar phenotypes in different lineages, which demonstrates the importance of external selection pressures in evolutionary history and reveals how similar adaptations can evolve through diverse evolutionary routes. The study found that even among closely related species, convergent evolution can occur through both parallel and nonparallel mechanisms.
SYSTEMATIC BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zijia Bao, Guojun Zhou, Xinrong Liu, Yuxin Peng, Zhehao Huang, Haoquan Zheng
Summary: Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are commonly used for electrocatalysis, but their two-dimensional (2D) structures often collapse at high temperature. In this study, a dense MOF, ZIF-EC1, doped with Co was used as a precursor for electrocatalytic materials. The derived carbon-based material maintained the 2D morphology and showed excellent activity for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), surpassing Pt/C. This work demonstrates the potential of using nonporous MOFs as precursors to optimize electrocatalytic activity.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Christopher M. Anderson, Jeffrey S. McKinnon
Summary: This study examined the coloration of male pelvic spines in threespine stickleback and its relationship with behavior. Results showed that spine coloration remained consistent across reproductive stages, while body color was more variable and intense during courtship and parenting. Conspicuousness of pelvic spine coloration varied behaviorally, with increased frequency of spine erection during social interactions and in response to a model predator.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andrew S. Cohen, Andrew Du, John Rowan, Chad L. Yost, Anne L. Billingsley, Christopher J. Campisano, Erik T. Brown, Alan L. Deino, Craig S. Feibel, Katharine Grant, John D. Kingston, Rachel L. Lupien, Veronica Muiruri, R. Bernhart Owen, Kaye E. Reed, James Russell, Mona Stockhecke
Summary: Understanding the impact of environmental variability on mammalian macroevolution is crucial in African paleoclimatology and evolutionary biology. By compiling a comprehensive history of Pan-African environmental variability and estimating speciation and extinction rates, this study found no statistically significant relationship between environmental variability and macroevolutionary processes, contradicting the variability selection hypothesis.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)