10.5061/DRYAD.S36HM11
Lynch, Kathleen S.
Hofstra University
O'Connell, Lauren A.
Stanford University
Louder, Matthew I.M.
East Carolina University
Balakrishnan, Christopher N.
East Carolina University
Fischer, Eva K
Stanford University
Data from: Understanding the loss of maternal care in avian brood
parasites using preoptic area transcriptome comparisons in brood parasitic
and non-parasitic blackbirds
Dryad
dataset
2019
transcriptome comparisons
Agelaius phoeniceus
maternal behavior
Preoptic area
Molothrus ater
neoteny
brood parasitism
Molothrus aeneus
2019-02-21T15:46:30Z
2019-02-21T15:46:30Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1534/g3.118.200992
203528143 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Parental care is critical for offspring survival in many species. However,
parental behaviors have been lost in roughly 1% of avian species known as
the obligate brood parasites. To shed light on molecular and
neurobiological mechanisms mediating brood parasitic behavior, we compared
brain gene expression patterns between two brood parasitic species and one
closely related non-parasitic Icterid (blackbird) species. Our analyses
focused on gene expression changes specifically in the preoptic area
(POA), a brain region known to play a critical role in parental behavior
across vertebrates. Using comparative transcriptomic approaches, we
identified gene expression patterns associated with brood parasitism. We
evaluated three non-mutually exclusive alternatives for the evolution of
brood parasitism: (1) retention of juvenile-like (neotenic) gene
expression, (2) reduced expression of maternal care-related genes in the
POA, and/or (3) increased expression of genes inhibiting maternal care. We
find evidence for neotenic expression patterns in both species of
parasitic cowbirds as compared to maternal, non-parasites. In addition, we
observed differential expression in a number of genes with previously
established roles in mediating maternal care. Together, these results
provide the first insight into transcriptomic and genetics mechanisms
underlying the loss of maternal behavior in avian brood parasites.
bronze_annotated sequencesThe sequences generated from female bronzed
cowbirds from Hildago county Texas with
annotationsbronze_annotated.fastabrown_annotatedThe sequences generated
from female brown-headed cowbirds from Hildago county Texas with
annotationsred_annotatedThe sequences generated from female red-winged
blackbirdsDE genes onlyResults of all possible pairwise comparisons