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Evolutionary biology

How to build a longer beak

Nature volume 442, pages 515–516 (2006)Cite this article

Evolutionary changes in the beaks of Darwin's finches have been instrumental in the adaptive radiation of these birds. The molecular basis for variation in beak size and shape is opening up to investigation.

A classic illustration of nature's ability to generate morphological diversity comes from the finches that inhabit the Galapagos Islands. The beak shapes of these finches are remarkably diverse, and — as described on page 563 of this issue1 — Abzhanov and colleagues have uncovered one of the mechanisms involved in achieving this. They have compared beak development of several finch species at the molecular level. In combination with experimental analyses in chickens, they show that changes in calcium-dependent molecular signalling during development are involved in the evolution of beak shape.

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Figure 1: The evolutionary radiation of Darwin's finches.

References

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  1. the Departments of Molecular and Cell Biology and Integrative Biology, and at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley, 94720-3140, California, USA

    Nipam H. Patel

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  1. Nipam H. Patel
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Patel, N. How to build a longer beak. Nature 442, 515–516 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/442515a

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