PAPER: Polygenic basis for morphological variation

Polygenic basis for adaptive morphological variation in a threatened Aotearoa New Zealand bird, the hihi (Notiomystis cincta)

August 2020

Duntsch L, Tomotani BM, de Villemereuil P, Brekke P, Lee KD, Ewen JG, and Santure AW 2020. Polygenic basis for adaptive morphological variation in a threatened Aotearoa New Zealand bird, the hihi (Notiomystis cincta). Proc Biol Sci 287(1933): 20200948.

ABSTRACT

To predict if a threatened species can adapt to changing selective pressures, it is crucial to understand the genetic basis of adaptive traits, especially in species historically affected by severe bottlenecks. In this research, genomic data was used to reveal previously undiscovered genetic patterns underlying three adaptive morphological phenotypes in the Tiritiri Matangi population of the threatened Aotearoa New Zealand bird, the hihi (Notiomystis cincta). 

KEYWORDS

genomic relatedness matrix; chromosome partitioning; genome-wide association; polygenic traits; pedigree study; Notiomystis cincta