Darwin's finches played a key part in the formulation of his theory of evolution by natural selection. They have since become an iconic model for adaptive radiation — 14 species evolved from a common ancestor to occupy different niches on the Galapagos Islands, with 1 species living on Cocos Island. On page 371 of this issue, Lamichhaney et al. present the genome sequences of 120 individuals from among all 15 species and 2 close relatives (S. Lamichhaney et al. Nature 518, 371–375; 2015).
The work marks the first extensive genomic characterization of these birds. Unexpectedly, the analysis reveals that breeding between species has continued throughout their adaptation, contributing to their evolution.
The morphology of Darwin's finches has been extensively studied, with a particular focus on the diverse shapes of their beaks (pictured: Geospiza magnirostris). The authors use their rich data set to probe the genetic basis of beak shape, and identify six genomic regions that have a role in craniofacial morphology.
One region, which encodes the protein ALX1, is a major player in the rapid beak-shape evolution seen both across Darwin's finches and within one species, the medium ground finch (Geospiza fortis). The function of ALX1 is evolutionarily conserved — mutations in this gene also affect craniofacial development in humans and zebrafish.Footnote 1
Notes
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Skipper, M. Finches sequenced. Nature 518, 308 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/518308a
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/518308a