“GrrlScientist” is the pseudonym of an evolutionary ecologist/ornithologist & parrot researcher. Earned a B.S. in microbiology (emphasis: virology) & biochemistry at the University of Washington. Worked at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center for 2 years. Earned her Ph.D.
Genomic sequencing of almost all living kākāpō reveals they evolved two different plumage colors to avoid the sharp eyes of their avian predatorsI’ve been intensely interested in plumage color, especially amongst parrots, for all of my professional life: the genetics, biochemistry and physics of color, as well as how plumage colors influence social and behavioral interactions and how they interact with the environment have always fascinated me.. This large parrot is endemic to New Zealand.
To identify the genetics encoding this color variation and to better understand why it is maintained despite severe population declines, Lara Urban, a Principal Investigator atand the indigenous Māori iwi Ngāi Tahu, analyzed genome sequence data from 168 individual kākāpō, representing nearly all living kākāpō at the time of sequencing. Together, Dr Urban and collaborators identified two genetic variants that underlie the color variation across all the kākāpō they examined.
green and 3 olive feather barbules at different resolutions ; the green feathers show a smoother surface than the olive ones. Photoreflectometry of near-infrared/visible wavelengths in the feather tips; the relative reflectance of an exemplary olive and green is plotted over the wavelength of the reflected light. Dr Urban and collaborators report that kākāpō were originally moss green, and the olive green plumage color first appeared around 1.93 million years ago.
Kākāpō Flightless Parrot Strigops Habroptilus Plumage Color Variation Evolution Ecology Apex Predator Grrlscientist Genomics
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