MCA: The genetic basis of complex plumage phenotypes in hybridizing Passerina buntings

University Of Wyoming, Laramie WY

Investigators

Abstract

Discovering the genes that underlie complex traits is a crucial step in understanding how biodiversity is generated and maintained. Uncovering the genes that control traits used by females to choose mates, such as male plumage patterns in songbirds, provides important clues into how new species are formed. This research will focus on two closely-related species of birds that differ dramatically in the color of their feathers. Male Indigo Buntings are entirely blue, a color that is produced by the physical structure of feathers that scatters light. In contrast, male Lazuli Buntings have blue, cinnamon, and white feathers, which are each produced via a different mechanism. The variation between these species in how plumage colors are created provides an exciting and unusual opportunity to investigate the evolution of complex traits. This work will support the collaboration between scientists at different career stages that have different areas of expertise. Furthermore, the research will provide training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students from multiple institutions. Finally, the work will contribute new museum specimens that will be available to all qualified investigators and educators for research, outreach, and educational activities. This research will integrate field work, genetic and plumage data to tackle two primary objectives. The first is to map the genes that underlie male plumage color variation in Indigo and Lazuli Buntings. Once those genes have been identified, the research will reconstruct their demographic histories to explore how evolutionary forces shaped the observed variation. To start, two new genomes will be assembled. Those genomes, along with whole genome data from hundreds of individuals, will be used to associate genetic variation with male plumage variation. Once the genes that correlate with male plumage variation have been identified, demographic histories of the two species will be reconstructed. Using those demographic histories, the research will explore the relative importance of selection and genetic drift in driving the observed patterns of genetic variation. Collectively, these aims will provide new insights into how evolution shapes genes important in producing complex phenotypes that influence the formation and maintenance of new species. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.