Study reveals unique evolutionary patterns in birds
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Falcons could become a model for studying the links between genomic evolution, speciation and environmental adaptation, according to a team of researchers from NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), who have discovered a strong link between the way a genome is structured and the how a species evolves by studying the genomic architecture of Arabia’s favorite bird.
The researchers, led by postdoctoral fellow and evolutionary biologist Justin Wilcox, studied several types of hawks to map the species’ genomes and found unique evolutionary patterns in birds.
In a new paper, “Linked-read sequencing of eight falcons reveals unique genomic architecture in Flux,” Wilcox and colleagues present new genomes for eight falcons and analyze how the unique genomic structure of falcons influenced their evolution. Hawks are an ideal model for studying the process of evolution, they said, because there is a continuous emergence of new species of hawks and extreme variation in the environments and habitats that hawks occupy.
Additionally, hawks have a unique genomic arrangement compared to other animals, including other birds. The researchers found that falcon genomes now evolve in a way more similar to processes seen in mammals: in particular, they reported that falcons were the first birds to demonstrate an evolutionary process known as AT-GC imbalance. , which was previously only well documented. in mammals.
The team sequenced the lanner falcon genome for the first time in the species’ history, in addition to producing two new gyrfalcon genomes, three new peregrine falcon genomes – including the very first reference genomes for two peregrine subspecies – and a new saker falcon and kestrel genome. Together, these species represent all of the most commonly used falcon species in falconry. The new genomes are publicly available on NCBI Genbank.
Falcons are extremely important to culture, trade and conservation efforts in the Middle East and North Africa region; The results of this study suggest that falcons may also have a special role to play in shedding light on how and why genetic material is organized in this way.
“Falcons are unique in the speed and success with which they have spread across the world and colonized new environments. Our findings underscore that their evolution is also unique among birds at the molecular level,” Wilcox said. “This research also paves the way for future study of falcon genomes to improve ancestry testing and hybrid detection, genomic trait mapping, and determination of genomic differences between species.”
