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Genomic mechanisms for the evolution of flightlessness in steamer ducks

The ability to fly has been lost in many groups of birds. A comparison of the wing structures and genomes of flighted and non-flighted species of steamer duck highlights a possible mechanism for the loss of flight.
  1. Julia A. Clarke

    1. Julia A. Clarke is at the Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA.

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We can gain insights into evolution by studying the sequence in which new features are acquired. But studying loss of features has its benefits, too. When a certain trait is lost multiple times in distinct groups of organisms, powerful statistical approaches can identify its genomic underpinnings. A study by Campagna et al. in Evolution1 sheds light on the genetic changes associated with a loss of flight in birds. They compare the whole genomes of 59 individual steamer ducks (of the genus Tachyeres) to examine loss of flight as it is evolving.

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Nature 572, 182-184 (2019)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-02234-y

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