Genomic mechanisms for the evolution of flightlessness in steamer ducks

Clarke, Julia A.

doi:10.1038/d41586-019-02234-y

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31 July 2019

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.

Julia A. Clarke⁰

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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