[ad_1]
Scientists discover link between bird and mammal genomes
By studying the genome structure of several falcon species, a team of researchers from New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) has discovered a strong link between genome structure and species evolution.
The researchers were led by postdoctoral associate and evolutionary biologist Justin Wilcox.
The researchers’ newly developed falcon genome and the discovery of falcon’s unique evolutionary patterns could make these birds a model for studying the links between genome evolution, speciation and environmental adaptation.
Falcons are an ideal model for studying evolutionary processes, as new falcon species continue to emerge and their environments and habitats undergo extreme changes. Additionally, falcons have a unique arrangement of their genomes compared to other animals, including other birds. Falcons are important to culture, commerce and conservation in the MENA region. The results of this study suggest that falcons may also play a special role in elucidating how and why genetic material is organized in this way.
In a new paper titled “Linked read sequences of eight falcons reveal unique genome structure in flux,” Wilcox and colleagues present the new genomes of eight falcons and analyze the falcon’s unique How genome structure affects their evolution. The researchers found that the falcon genome is now evolving in a more similar way to processes observed in mammals: Specifically, they report, falcons were the first to exhibit an evolutionary process known as AT-GC imbalance. In birds, this evolutionary process was previously only well documented in mammals.
The team sequenced the Lanna falcon genome for the first time in the species’ history, in addition to producing two new gyrofalcon genomes, three new peregrine falcon genomes – including the first ever for two The reference genomes of a subspecies of peregrine falcon—as well as new genomes of the saker and common kestrel. Together, these species represent all of the most commonly used falconry species in falconry. The new genome is publicly available on NCBI Genbank.
“Falcons are unique in their speed and success in spreading and colonizing new environments globally. Our findings highlight that their evolution is also unique among birds at the molecular level,” Wilcox said. “This study also opens the way for future studies of the falcon genome to improve ancestry testing and hybridization detection, genomic trait mapping, and identification of genomic differences between species.”
Also read:
[ad_2]
Source link