![]() ![]() These genetic changes were associated with the formation of junctions between nerve cells and the transmission of nerve signals within and between the song nucleus. They found that transcriptional regulation differed in the two species for about 800 genes in the song nucleus, the brain region responsible for vocal learning and production - which accounts for 10% of all genes expressed in the brains of these birds. These allowed them to relate transcriptional regulatory divergence between the species with the production of species-specific songs.īirdsongs sung by a zebra finch (top) and an owl finch (bottom). Specifically, they looked at differences in gene expression between the two species as well as the expression ratio from the zebra finch’s and the owl finch’s genomes (alleles) in the hybrid offspring. To investigate this, Wada and his colleagues studied zebra finches and owl finches, two closely related bird species with different songs, and their hybrid offspring. However, the genetic mechanism underlying these differences has remained elusive. ![]() Songs play an important role in mating interactions and territory defence within and between species.įor many years, scientists have thought that species-specific songs partly depend on differences in the structure and development of regions in the brain which influence behaviour. The team from Japan’s Hokkaido University and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology shared their findings in the journal PLOS Biology.īirds acquire song by copying the vocalizations of other individuals, such as their parents, in the same way humans acquire language. Researchers have discovered the genetic mechanism that explains how birds sing different songs depending on their species. ![]() The two closely-related bird species, zebra finches (left) and owl finches (right), and their hybrid offspring (center). ![]()
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