Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Biodiversity and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Frescativaegen 40, 114 18 Stockholm, Sweden
  • 2 Department of Biology, Stanford University, 371 Serra Mall, Stanford, CA 94305-5020, USA
  • 3 Department of Biology and School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, Indiana University, 1001 E. Third Street, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
  • 4 Department of Evolutionary Biology (EBC), Uppsala University, Norbyvaegen 14-18, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden
  • 5 Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Oster Voldgade 5-7, 1353 Copenhagen, Denmark
  • 6 Department of Ornithology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West, New York, NY 10024, USA
Gigascience, 2019 May 01;8(5).
PMID: 30689847 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giz003

Abstract

The diverse array of phenotypes and courtship displays exhibited by birds-of-paradise have long fascinated scientists and nonscientists alike. Remarkably, almost nothing is known about the genomics of this iconic radiation. There are 41 species in 16 genera currently recognized within the birds-of-paradise family (Paradisaeidae), most of which are endemic to the island of New Guinea. In this study, we sequenced genomes of representatives from all five major clades within this family to characterize genomic changes that may have played a role in the evolution of the group's extensive phenotypic diversity. We found genes important for coloration, morphology, and feather and eye development to be under positive selection. In birds-of-paradise with complex lekking systems and strong sexual dimorphism, the core birds-of-paradise, we found Gene Ontology categories for "startle response" and "olfactory receptor activity" to be enriched among the gene families expanding significantly faster compared to the other birds in our study. Furthermore, we found novel families of retrovirus-like retrotransposons active in all three de novo genomes since the early diversification of the birds-of-paradise group, which might have played a role in the evolution of this fascinating group of birds.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.