Genomics and Transcriptomics of Behaviour and Plumage Colouration

Genomics and Transcriptomics of Behaviour and Plumage Colouration PDF Author: Jesper Fogelholm
Publisher: Linköping University Electronic Press
ISBN: 9179298486
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 49

Get Book Here

Book Description
The aim throughout this thesis has been to investigate the underlying genetics of behaviours and feather colour and plumage patterns by using chickens as a model organism. Chickens are extremely important as a food source, both in terms of egg, as well as meat production. As such there is a large research interest for them, and they provide an excellent model to study the effects of domestication and evolution, since the ancestor to our domestic breeds the Red Junglefowl can still be found living freely in the wild. This allows us to set up long term crossing experiments where we can harness the power of recombination events and genome wide sequencing to perform genome wide mapping studies. I also want to take the opportunity to integrate the results from all of my work and consider it in perspective of the domestication syndrome. In Paper I we investigated the Social Reinstatement behaviour which combines aspects of sociality and anxiousness. We detected several QTL and some overlap with Open Field behaviour from previous work within the group. By combining genomic and transcriptomic methods three strong candidate genes were found: TTRAP, ACOT9 and PRDX4. In Paper II Tonic Immobility, another classic behaviour was examined. Once more there was some overlap with the QTL regions discovered in earlier work, and it turns out that two of the most well supported candidate genes for Tonic Immobility is ACOT9 and PRDX4. These two genes had also been implicated with a pH dependent meat quality trait. Therefore, we conducted experiments in an additional smaller scale test cohort to investigate any potential link between the two traits. Following statistical multiple testing corrections, no significant association was found. The remaining papers in the thesis investigated different types of feather patterning and colour. In Paper III we determined that the underlying genetic mechanism behind the striped appearance of the sex-linked barring feathers is likely caused by cyclic depletion and renewal of the pigment producing melanocyte cells during feather growth, which is a consequence of specific mutations in the gene CDKN2A. Paper IV took a quantitative approach to colour by measuring and quantifying the pheomelanic colour ranging from dark red to yellow. We identified five main candidate genes for the intensity of red colouration, CREBBP, WDR24, ARL8A, PHLDA3 and LAD1. They are all regulated by a trans-acting eQTL located within the QTL region previously associated with behaviours in Paper I and Paper II. Finally, in Paper V we turned our attention from pigment-based colour traits to an iridescent structural colour. Here we followed up the QTL mapping performed in our F8 lab intercross with a Genome Wide Association Study in two feral populations from the islands of Kauai and Bermuda. RNA-sequencing was then performed in selected individuals from both feral populations in addition to individuals from the F3 generation of our domestic x wild intercross. The main region of interest is located between 17.4 -17.5Mb on chromosome Z, with the main candidate genes being MAP3K1, Zinc finger RNA binding protein 2, and Zinc finger protein. After integrating and viewing the results from the work conducted as a part of this thesis from the perspective of the Domestication Syndrome, I have found that there are a lot of potential connections between the traits that I have studied. For instance, the same QTL region on chromosome 10 is detected in association with the behaviour traits in Paper I and Paper II and the quantitative colour trait in Paper IV. I believe that the domestication syndrome is caused by the underlying functional arrangement of the genome, which causes correlated responses in nearby genes and their associated traits, when selective forces such as domestication are applied on the primary trait.

Genomics and Transcriptomics of Behaviour and Plumage Colouration

Genomics and Transcriptomics of Behaviour and Plumage Colouration PDF Author: Jesper Fogelholm
Publisher: Linköping University Electronic Press
ISBN: 9179298486
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 49

Get Book Here

Book Description
The aim throughout this thesis has been to investigate the underlying genetics of behaviours and feather colour and plumage patterns by using chickens as a model organism. Chickens are extremely important as a food source, both in terms of egg, as well as meat production. As such there is a large research interest for them, and they provide an excellent model to study the effects of domestication and evolution, since the ancestor to our domestic breeds the Red Junglefowl can still be found living freely in the wild. This allows us to set up long term crossing experiments where we can harness the power of recombination events and genome wide sequencing to perform genome wide mapping studies. I also want to take the opportunity to integrate the results from all of my work and consider it in perspective of the domestication syndrome. In Paper I we investigated the Social Reinstatement behaviour which combines aspects of sociality and anxiousness. We detected several QTL and some overlap with Open Field behaviour from previous work within the group. By combining genomic and transcriptomic methods three strong candidate genes were found: TTRAP, ACOT9 and PRDX4. In Paper II Tonic Immobility, another classic behaviour was examined. Once more there was some overlap with the QTL regions discovered in earlier work, and it turns out that two of the most well supported candidate genes for Tonic Immobility is ACOT9 and PRDX4. These two genes had also been implicated with a pH dependent meat quality trait. Therefore, we conducted experiments in an additional smaller scale test cohort to investigate any potential link between the two traits. Following statistical multiple testing corrections, no significant association was found. The remaining papers in the thesis investigated different types of feather patterning and colour. In Paper III we determined that the underlying genetic mechanism behind the striped appearance of the sex-linked barring feathers is likely caused by cyclic depletion and renewal of the pigment producing melanocyte cells during feather growth, which is a consequence of specific mutations in the gene CDKN2A. Paper IV took a quantitative approach to colour by measuring and quantifying the pheomelanic colour ranging from dark red to yellow. We identified five main candidate genes for the intensity of red colouration, CREBBP, WDR24, ARL8A, PHLDA3 and LAD1. They are all regulated by a trans-acting eQTL located within the QTL region previously associated with behaviours in Paper I and Paper II. Finally, in Paper V we turned our attention from pigment-based colour traits to an iridescent structural colour. Here we followed up the QTL mapping performed in our F8 lab intercross with a Genome Wide Association Study in two feral populations from the islands of Kauai and Bermuda. RNA-sequencing was then performed in selected individuals from both feral populations in addition to individuals from the F3 generation of our domestic x wild intercross. The main region of interest is located between 17.4 -17.5Mb on chromosome Z, with the main candidate genes being MAP3K1, Zinc finger RNA binding protein 2, and Zinc finger protein. After integrating and viewing the results from the work conducted as a part of this thesis from the perspective of the Domestication Syndrome, I have found that there are a lot of potential connections between the traits that I have studied. For instance, the same QTL region on chromosome 10 is detected in association with the behaviour traits in Paper I and Paper II and the quantitative colour trait in Paper IV. I believe that the domestication syndrome is caused by the underlying functional arrangement of the genome, which causes correlated responses in nearby genes and their associated traits, when selective forces such as domestication are applied on the primary trait.

Carotenoids: Carotenoid and Apocarotenoid Analysis

Carotenoids: Carotenoid and Apocarotenoid Analysis PDF Author:
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0323983065
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 548

Get Book Here

Book Description
Carotenoids: Carotenoid and Apocarotenoid Analysis, Volume 670, the latest release in the Methods in Enzymology series, highlights new advances in the field, with this new volume covering Getting to know carotenoids, Laser capture of tissues for micro-scale carotenoid analyses, Metabolic engineering of carotenoids: procedures for metabolomic characterization, LC-MS analysis of intracellular metabolites for precursors to the carotenoid pathway, Use of E. coli to produce carotenoid standards, HPLC analysis of carotenoids from Bacteria, Purification and development of standards for carotenoid quantification in plant tissues, and much more. Additional sections in this release cover Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Plant Apocarotenoids, Detection and analysis of novel and known volatile plant apocarotenoids, Carotenoid extraction, detection, and analysis in citrus, Strategies For The Separation And Tentative Identification Of Geometrical (Cis/Trans, Z/E) Isomers Of Carotenoids, Use of stable isotopes to study bioconversion and bioefficacy of pro-vitamin A carotenoids, Carotenoid extraction and analysis of blood plasma/serum, and more. - Provides the authority and expertise of leading contributors from an international board of authors - Presents the latest release in the Methods in Enzymology series - Includes the latest information on Carotenoids: Carotenoid and Apocarotenoid Analysis

Bird Species

Bird Species PDF Author: Dieter Thomas Tietze
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319916890
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 270

Get Book Here

Book Description
The average person can name more bird species than they think, but do we really know what a bird “species” is? This open access book takes up several fascinating aspects of bird life to elucidate this basic concept in biology. From genetic and physiological basics to the phenomena of bird song and bird migration, it analyzes various interactions of birds – with their environment and other birds. Lastly, it shows imminent threats to birds in the Anthropocene, the era of global human impact. Although it seemed to be easy to define bird species, the advent of modern methods has challenged species definition and led to a multidisciplinary approach to classifying birds. One outstanding new toolbox comes with the more and more reasonably priced acquisition of whole-genome sequences that allow causative analyses of how bird species diversify. Speciation has reached a final stage when daughter species are reproductively isolated, but this stage is not easily detectable from the phenotype we observe. Culturally transmitted traits such as bird song seem to speed up speciation processes, while another behavioral trait, migration, helps birds to find food resources, and also coincides with higher chances of reaching new, inhabitable areas. In general, distribution is a major key to understanding speciation in birds. Examples of ecological speciation can be found in birds, and the constant interaction of birds with their biotic environment also contributes to evolutionary changes. In the Anthropocene, birds are confronted with rapid changes that are highly threatening for some species. Climate change forces birds to move their ranges, but may also disrupt well-established interactions between climate, vegetation, and food sources. This book brings together various disciplines involved in observing bird species come into existence, modify, and vanish. It is a rich resource for bird enthusiasts who want to understand various processes at the cutting edge of current research in more detail. At the same time it offers students the opportunity to see primarily unconnected, but booming big-data approaches such as genomics and biogeography meet in a topic of broad interest. Lastly, the book enables conservationists to better understand the uncertainties surrounding “species” as entities of protection.

Avian Growth and Development

Avian Growth and Development PDF Author: J. Matthias Starck
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 9780195106084
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 462

Get Book Here

Book Description
This is the first re-appraisal in 50 years of concepts of development made in birds. This book is a case study in evolutionary diversification of life histories. Although birds have a rather uniform body plan and physiology, they exhibit marked variation in development type, parental care, and rate of growth. Altricial birds are fully dependent on their parents for warmth and nutrition and begin posthatching life in a more or less embryonic condition. At the other extreme, such superprecocial species as the megapodes are independent of all parental care from hatching, and the neonate, able to fly, resembles an adult bird. This book thus attempts to present an integrative perspective of organism biology, ecology, and evolution.

Advances in the Study of Behavior

Advances in the Study of Behavior PDF Author: Marc Naguib
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0128207264
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 304

Get Book Here

Book Description
Advances in the Study of Behavior, Volume 52, provides users with the latest insights in this ever-evolving field. Users will find new information on a variety of species, including ecological determinants of sex roles and female sexual selection, copulatory behavior and genital morphology in vertebrates, proximate and ultimate influences on social behavior, and more. Sample chapters in this release include Ecological determinants of sex roles and female sexual selection, Sensory information in social insects, How the material basis of colors impacts how they evolve, participate in behavioral interactions, and interface with other life history characters, Fiddler crabs, the Evolution of female coloration, and more. - Serves the increasing number of scientists engaged in the study of animal behavior - Makes another important contribution to the development of the field - Presents theoretical ideas and research to those studying animal behavior and related fields

Avian Migration

Avian Migration PDF Author: Peter Berthold
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3662059576
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 601

Get Book Here

Book Description
P. Berthold and E. Gwinnd Bird migration is an intriguing aspect of the living world - so much so that it has been investigated for as long, and as thoroughly, as almost any other natural phenomenon. Aristotle, who can count as the founder of scientific ornithology, paid very close attention to the migrations of the birds he ob served, but it was not until the reign of Friedrich II, in the first half of the 13th century, that reliable data began to be obtained. From then on, the data base grew rapidly. Systematic studies of bird migration were introduced when the Vogelwarte Rossitten was founded, as the first ornithological biological observation station in the world (see first chapter "In Memory of Vogelwarte Rossitten"). This area later received enormous impetus when ex perimental research on the subject was begun: the large-scale bird-ringing experiment initiated in Rossitten in 1903 by Johannes Thienemann (who was inspired by the pioneering studies of C. C. M. Mortensen), the experiments on photoperiodicity carried out by William Rowan in the 1920s in Canada and retention and release experiments performed by Thienemann in the 1930s in Rossitten, the first experimental study on the orientation of migratory birds. After the Second World War, migration research, while continuing in the previous areas, also expanded into new directions such as radar ornithology, ecophysiology and hormonal control mechanisms, studies of evolution, ge netics, telemetry and others.

Dog behaviour

Dog behaviour PDF Author: Ann-Sofie Sundman
Publisher: Linköping University Electronic Press
ISBN: 9176850722
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 67

Get Book Here

Book Description
Dogs, Canis familiaris, share the lives of humans all over the world. That dogs, and the behavior of dogs, are of interest to many is therefore no surprise. In this thesis, the main aim has been to identify factors that affect dogs’ behaviours. The dog, Canis familiaris, is our first domesticated animal. Since domestication, various types of dogs have developed through adaptation to an environment shared with humans and through our selective breeding, resulting in a unique variation in morphology and behaviour. Although there is an individual variation in the behaviour of dogs, there is also a difference between breeds. Moreover, selection during the last decades has split some breeds into divergent types. Labrador and golden retrievers are divided into a common type, for show and companionship, and a field type, for hunting. By comparing the breed types, we can study the effects of recent selection. In Paper I, we investigate differences in general behavioural traits between Labrador and golden retriever and between common and field type within the two breeds by using results from the standardized behaviour test Dog Mentality Assessment. There were differences between breeds and types for all behavioural traits. However, there was also an interaction between breed and type. Thus, a common/field-type Labrador does not behave like a common/field-type golden retriever. Even though they have been selected for similar traits, the selection has affected the general behavioural traits differently in the two breeds. In paper II, we were interested in dogs’ human-directed social skills. Dogs have a high social competence when it comes to humans. Two experiments commonly used to study these skills are the problem-solving test, where dogs’ human-directed behaviours when faced with a problem are measured, and the pointing test, where dogs are tested on how well they understand human gestures. We compared the social skills of German shepherds and Labrador retrievers, and of common- and field-type Labradors. Labradors were more successful in the pointing test and German shepherds stayed closer to their owners during the problem solving. Among Labrador types, the field type had more human eye contact than the common type. Importantly, when comparing the two experiments, we found no positive correlations between the problem-solving test and the pointing test, suggesting that the two tests measure different aspects of human-directed social behaviour in dogs. A previous study has identified two suggestive genetic regions for human-directed social behaviours during the problem-solving test in beagles. In paper III, we show that these SNPs are also associated to social behaviours in Labrador and golden retrievers. Moreover, the Labrador breed types differed significantly in allele frequencies. This indicates that the two SNPs have been affected by recent selection and may have a part in the differences in sociability between common and field type. The behaviour of dogs cannot simply be explained by genetics, there is also an environmental component. In paper IV, we study which factors that affect long-term stress in dogs. Long-term cortisol can be measured by hair samples. We found a clear synchronization in hair cortisol concentrations between dogs and their owners. Neither dogs’ activity levels nor their behavioural traits affected the cortisol, however, the personality of the owners did. Therefore, we suggest that dogs mirror the stress level of their owners. The mediator between genes and the environment is epigenetics, and one epigenetic factor is DNA methylation. In paper V, we compared methylation patterns of wolves and dogs as well as dog breeds. Between both wolves and dogs and among dogs there were substantial differences in methylated DNA regions, suggesting that DNA methylation is likely to contribute to the vast variation among canines. We hypothesize that epigenetic factors have been important during domestication and in breed formation. In this thesis, I cover several aspects on how dogs’ behaviours can be affected, and paint an intricate picture on how genetics, epigenetics, and human-dog relations forms dog behaviour.

Animal Movement Across Scales

Animal Movement Across Scales PDF Author: Lars-Anders Hansson
Publisher:
ISBN: 0199677190
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 299

Get Book Here

Book Description
Movement, dispersal, and migration on land, in the air, and in water, are pervading features of animal life. They are performed by a huge variety of organisms, from the smallest protozoans to the largest whales, and can extend over widely different distance scales, from the microscopic to global. Integrating the study of movement, dispersal, and migration is crucial for a detailed understanding of the spatial scale of adaptation, and for analysing the consequences of landscape and climate change as well as of invasive species. This novel book adopts a broad, cross-taxonomic approach to animal movement across both temporal and spatial scales, addressing how and why animals move, and in what ways they differ in their locomotion and navigation performance. Written by an integrated team of leading researchers, the book synthesizes our current knowledge of the genetics of movement, including gene flow and local adaptations, whilst providing a future perspective on how patterns of animal migration may change over time together with their potential evolutionary consequences. Novel technologies for tracking the movement of organisms across scales are also discussed, ranging from satellite devices for tracking global migrations to nanotechnology that can follow animals only a millimetre in size. Animal Movement Across Scales is particularly suitable for graduate level students taking courses in spatial animal ecology, animal migration, and 'movement ecology', as well as providing a source of fresh ideas and opinions for those already active within the field. It will also be of interest and use to a broader audience of professional biologists interested in animal movements and migrations.

Equine Color Genetics

Equine Color Genetics PDF Author: D. Phillip Sponenberg
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119130611
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 412

Get Book Here

Book Description
Equine Color Genetics, Fourth Edition presents a detailed examination of the color variation in horses and donkeys and the genetic mechanisms that produce color variations. Thoroughly covers the basic colors in horses, including bay, chestnut, black, and brown Details the genetic basis of the colors built from the basic coat color, including dilutions and white patterning Provides an explanation of genetic mechanisms that determine coat color Presents a thorough revision and update, including new advances in molecular genetics, biochemistry, molecular mechanisms, genetic loci, coat colors before domestication, and more Offers a new introduction describing the principles of genetics and genomics research to help outline how knowledge is discovered and to assist the reader in understanding concepts covered in the book

Biology of the Three-Spined Stickleback

Biology of the Three-Spined Stickleback PDF Author: Sara Ostlund-Nilsson
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1420004832
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 406

Get Book Here

Book Description
Highlighting the growing importance of the sticklebacks as a model species in emerging fields such as molecular genetics, genomics, and environmental toxicology, Biology of the Three-Spined Stickleback examines data from researchers who use studies of the stickleback to address a wide range of biological issues. This state-of-the-art volume