Article
Biology
Kevin Winker, Jack J. Withrow, Daniel D. Gibson, Christin L. Pruett
Summary: Beringia, a dynamic region between Asia and North America, has influenced avian divergence and speciation through intercontinental colonization, population splitting/reuniting, and isolation. This has resulted in taxonomic splits and the presence of endemic bird species and subspecies. The region is particularly important for Charadriiformes and Passeriformes, with varying levels of diversity over evolutionary time. Genetic evidence suggests that most Beringian avian taxa originated in the past 3 million years. The region also holds potential for future evolutionary diversification with undifferentiated populations of at least 62 species.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jose Martin Pujolar, Mozes P. K. Blom, Andrew Hart Reeve, Jonathan D. Kennedy, Petter Zahl Marki, Thorfinn S. Korneliussen, Benjamin G. Freeman, Katerina Sam, Ethan Linck, Tri Haryoko, Bulisa Iova, Bonny Koane, Gibson Maiah, Luda Paul, Martin Irestedt, Knud Andreas Jonsson
Summary: Using genomic data and demographic models, the authors show that populations in high elevations become isolated, while montane populations maintain gene flow for further colonization. Tropical mountains are important for Earth's biodiversity, with montane species typically inhabiting multiple mountainous regions. Pleistocene climate oscillations have had a significant impact on species demographics.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Drew R. Schield, Elizabeth S. C. Scordato, Chris C. R. Smith, Javan K. Carter, Sidi Imad Cherkaoui, Sundev Gombobaatar, Said Hajib, Saad Hanane, Amanda K. Hund, Kazuo Koyama, Wei Liang, Yang Liu, Najib Magri, Alexander Rubtsov, Basma Sheta, Sheela P. Turbek, Matthew R. Wilkins, Liu Yu, Rebecca J. Safran
Summary: Sex chromosomes exhibit unique patterns of genetic variation influenced by mutation, recombination, genetic drift, and selection, different from autosomes. This study found that the barn swallow mating system, demographic history, and linked selection contribute to low Z-linked diversity and high differentiation. The results suggest that barriers to hybridization on the Z chromosome are due to selection.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Joshua Brown, Ryan J. Harrigan, Philip Lavretsky
Summary: This study investigates the divergence process of Mexican ducks and mallards using partial-genome sequence data. The results indicate that Mexican ducks originally diverged in glacial refugia and subsequent environmental selective pressures played a key role in their divergence. Furthermore, cyclical demographic patterns and gene flow with mallards were observed in Mexican duck populations. Sexual selection also acted on phenotypic traits as a co-evolutionary process.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yiteng Zhang, Zixuan Hu, Yuchen Wang, Sabre Kais
Summary: Simulation of open quantum dynamics on quantum circuits has recently gained wide interest, with the development and demonstration of various quantum algorithms. Among them, a unitary dilation-based quantum algorithm has been designed to simulate general and complex physical systems. In this paper, we apply this quantum algorithm to simulate the dynamics of the radical pair mechanism in the avian compass. The simulation is conducted on the IBM QASM quantum simulator. This work represents the first application of any quantum algorithm to simulate the radical pair mechanism in the avian compass, demonstrating the generality of the quantum algorithm and opening up new opportunities for studying the avian compass with quantum computing devices.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Physiology
Daniela Dantas David, Leonardo Vinicius Monteiro de Assis, Maria Nathalia Moraes, Flavia Pinheiro Zanotto, Ana Maria de Lauro Castrucci
Summary: This study investigated the diurnal rhythm of hormone and gene expression in the molt cycle of Callinectes sapidus and found that melatonin had a remarkable influence on the molt cycle of the crabs.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ornithology
Peter Pyle
Summary: This study examined images from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Macaulay Library to clarify conflicting reports on molt and plumage strategies in 8 hummingbird species in the southwestern United States. The results showed variations in molt patterns and established new criteria for age determinations. The Macaulay Library proves to be an important resource for the investigation of avian molts and plumages.
WILSON JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Hans-Jurgen Eilts, Nele Feuerbach, Philip D. Round, Oleg Bourski, John Allcock, Paul Leader, Batmunkh Davaasuren, Tuvshinjargal Erdenechimeg, Jong-Gil Park, Wieland Heim
Summary: Studies on Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler indicate a complex postbreeding molt strategy and variable molt extent across different regions. Moreover, researchers found an increase in the number of molted primaries during migration in this bird species.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Fisheries
Darrell R. J. Mullowney, Krista D. Baker
Summary: In some portions of the Newfoundland and Labrador snow crab stock range, a sex-asymmetric downward shift in size-at-terminal molt has occurred in males. Factors such as cold water expanse and large male density play significant roles in promoting this shift in size-at-terminal molt. This shift is associated with the recent increase in fishery exploitation rates and the low density of large male snow crabs.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Kenta Kobayashi, Kohei Oguchi, Toru Miura
Summary: In certain termite species, some nymphs can undergo regressive molt where wing buds and body size are reduced. This molt is believed to regulate caste composition in a colony. However, the physiological and developmental processes involved in regressive molt are not well understood. This study observed regressive molt in Hodotermopsis sjostedti termites and examined the histological and morphological changes during this molt. The results showed that nymphs with different types of wing buds underwent different developmental fates, with some differentiating into alates and others becoming workers or other castes. Histological observations revealed degeneration of the epithelial tissue in wing buds during regressive molt, and gene expression analysis showed up-regulation of apoptosis-related factors in the thoracic parts of certain nymphs. Interestingly, the expression pattern of developmental and endocrine factors during regressive molt was similar to that during stationary molt. These findings suggest that the fate of nymph differentiation is determined before molt and that regressive molt is similar to stationary molt.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biology
Meiyao Wang, Jun Zhou, Shengyan Su, Yongkai Tang, Gangchun Xu, Jianlin Li, Fan Yu, Hongxia Li, Changyou Song, Meng Liang, Jingjing Jiang, Pao Xu
Summary: In this study, a comparative transcriptome analysis of Eriocheir sinensis thoracic ganglia at post-molt and inter-molt stages was conducted to reveal the key regulatory pathways and functional genes operating at the post-molt stage. The results provide a theoretical foundation for studying the regulatory network of the E. sinensis nervous system during the post-molt developmental period and can be used for breeding improved species, recovering the wild population, and developing the artificial breeding industry of E. sinensis.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Sonal Singhal, Graham E. Derryberry, Gustavo A. Bravo, Elizabeth P. Derryberry, Robb T. Brumfield, Michael G. Harvey
Summary: The study found that introgression is most prominent when species are in close geographic proximity and in regions with dynamic climates, while gene tree discordance varies across lineages and geographic regions.
Article
Zoology
Jonathan H. Perez
Summary: This article explores the core neuroendocrine pathways regulating seasonal reproduction in vertebrates and introduces a consensus model of seasonal reproduction that has been largely accepted. However, recent studies have shown some assumptions of this model, especially the role of TSH beta and its dissociation from deiodinase signaling, may need to be challenged. By comparing with the mammalian literature, the article highlights the current gap in our understanding of the molecular neuroendocrine mechanisms of seasonality in mammals compared to birds and other non-mammalian seasonal breeders.
INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
C. P. Juzaitis-Boelter, A. P. Benson, M. U. Ahammad, M. K. Jones, J. Ferrel, A. J. Davis
Summary: The inclusion of dietary AZOMITE in poultry diets improves bird performance, including feed efficiency, immune function, and growth promotion. Additionally, it enhances the digestion and absorption of calcium and phosphorus in birds, as well as the mineral content in bones.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Maja Hanic, Fabian Schuhmann, Anders Frederiksen, Corinna Langebrake, Georg Manthey, Miriam Liedvogel, Jingjing Xu, Henrik Mouritsen, Ilia A. Solov'yov
Summary: A recent study revealed that cryptochrome 4 (Cry4) is a key protein responsible for the magnetic compass sense in migratory birds. The study compared the magnetic field response of Cry4 in different bird species and suggested the existence of differences in magnetic sensitivity. Further investigation into the structural and dynamic levels of the Cry4 protein showed flexibility in analogous regions, hinting at similar activation mechanisms and/or signaling interaction partners.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY B
(2022)
Article
Ornithology
Ildiko Szabo, Kimberly Walters, James Rourke, Darren E. Irwin
WILSON JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY
(2017)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Darren E. Irwin
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Darren E. Irwin, Borja Mila, David P. L. Toews, Alan Brelsford, Haley L. Kenyon, Alison N. Porter, Christine Grossen, Kira E. Delmore, Miguel Alcaide, Jessica H. Irwin
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Armando Geraldes, Kenneth K. Askelson, Ellen Nikelski, Frank Doyle, William L. Harrower, Kevin Winker, Darren E. Irwin
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2019)
Article
Ecology
Silu Wang, Sievert Rohwer, Kira Delmore, Darren E. Irwin
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Silu Wang, Sievert Rohwer, Devin R. de Zwaan, David P. L. Toews, Irby J. Lovette, Jacqueline Mackenzie, Darren Irwin
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Else K. Mikkelsen, Darren Irwin
Summary: Contact zones between the Pacific wren and winter wren, two morphologically similar songbirds in western Canada, show high genetic differentiation, moderate hybridization rate, and low fitness of F-1 hybrids, resulting in a population sink and narrow overlap of the two species. This dynamic may explain the frequent narrow range overlap observed between closely related species.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Silu Wang, Madelyn J. Ore, Else K. Mikkelsen, Julie Lee-Yaw, David P. L. Toews, Sievert Rohwer, Darren Irwin
Summary: Research on two hybridizing species of warblers in western North America found that populations with different mitochondrial DNA haplotypes and nuclear DNA regions may exhibit divergent mitonuclear coadaptation, especially in relation to genes associated with fatty acid oxidation and energy-related signaling transduction. The study suggests that spatial variation in mitonuclear ancestries is correlated with climatic conditions and may underpin cryptic differentiation in this species complex. Little is known about how mitonuclear interactions influence genomic divergence among hybrid and parental lineages.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Darren Irwin, Dolph Schluter
Summary: This study simulated the coexistence outcomes of two sympatric species that are ecologically differentiated but have incomplete reproductive isolation. The study found that the fitness of hybrid offspring plays a crucial role in species coexistence. High hybrid fitness can lead to species collapse into one, while low hybrid fitness can cause population declines and increase the risk of species extinction. High intrinsic growth rates can reduce the probability of extinction and increase the likelihood of stable coexistence at moderate levels of assortative mating and hybrid fitness. Very strong but incomplete assortative mating can induce low hybrid fitness via a mating disadvantage to rare genotypes, stabilizing the coexistence of two species at high but incomplete levels of assortative mating.
AMERICAN NATURALIST
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Libby Natola, Sampath S. Seneviratne, Darren Irwin
Summary: This study investigates a hybrid zone involving three species of woodpeckers and finds that hybridization is more extensive than in two-species hybrid zones. However, there is no evidence of hybrid swarms, indicating selection against hybrids may contribute to maintaining species boundaries.
Article
Ornithology
Madelyn J. Ore, Silu Wang, Darren E. Irwin
Summary: Setophaga townsendi is a wood warbler species in northwestern North America that shows geographic structure in the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes. Coastal populations have mixed ancestries, while interior populations have differentiated ancestries from a sister species. The study examines the transition between coastal and inland populations in song and nuclear DNA and finds a shallow geographic cline in song and a gradient in nuclear DNA.
Article
Ecology
Ellen Nikelski, Alexander S. Rubtsov, Darren Irwin
Summary: Comparisons of genomic variation between closely related species often show greater differentiation in mitochondrial DNA and sex chromosomes than in autosomes. However, hybridization can cause species to deviate from this general pattern. In the case of yellowhammers and pine buntings, despite differences in nuclear DNA, there is no differentiation in mtDNA. This is likely due to adaptive mtDNA introgression, which can result in co-introgression of mitonuclear genes. The study found significant nuclear differentiation, particularly on the sex chromosome Z, and evidence of co-introgression of mitonuclear genes.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kenneth K. Askelson, Garth M. Spellman, Darren Irwin
Summary: Analysis of genomic variation reveals high differentiation among white-breasted nuthatch populations, suggesting the existence of at least three species. It also shows evidence of introgression between a ghost lineage and a current population, contributing to differentiation.
Article
Ecology
Darren E. Irwin
AMERICAN NATURALIST
(2020)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Kira E. Delmore, Juan S. Lugo Ramos, Benjamin M. Van Doren, Max Lundberg, Steffan Bensch, Darren E. Irwin, Miriam Liedvogel
