48th Maine Biological and Medical Sciences Symposium (MBMSS)

2021 Keynote Speaker: Scott V. Edwards, Ph.D., Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Curator of Ornithology in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Alexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Director of Graduate Studies, Harvard University

Wings, feathers, flight: the PhyloG2P approach to understanding bird biology

The genotype-to-phenotype (G2P) map is of ongoing interest in evolutionary biology. Whereas for a few model organisms, traditional methods such as genetic mapping have allowed great advances, the vast majority of biodiversity can’t embrace this paradigm. However, comparative genomics is now allowing us to map genes for traits using phylogenetic approaches (PhyloG2P; Smith et al. 2020 TREE). By taking advantages of phenotypically unique lineages or convergent evolution, PhyloG2P can provide surprisingly precise identification of coding and noncoding loci underlying evolutionarily labile traits. I illustrate this approach with two examples, the first of which focuses on whether the origin of feathers was driven primarily by gene sequence evolution or gene regulation, and the second of which asks a similar question for the convergent loss of flight in paleognathous birds, which include the ostrich, emu, kiwis and relatives. In both cases, regulatory evolution seems to have played an important role in the gain and loss of fundamental avian traits. Additional ‘omics approaches, such as ATAC-seq, help refine hypothesis of causal loci based on comparative analysis. Overall our results suggest a strong role for non-coding regulatory evolution in the origin of key adaptations of birds.

Abstract Submission Deadline: April 12, 2021