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Ellen D Ketterson - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Female ornamentation and male mate choice in Dark-Eyed Juncos
Animal Behaviour, 2020Co-Authors: Wendy L Wolf, Joseph M. Casto, Val Nolan, Ellen D KettersonAbstract:Traits that enhance attractiveness in one sex may or may not influence attractiveness in the other. In the Dark-Eyed Junco, Junco hyemalis, outer tail feathers of males and females are all or partly white and form a sharp contrast with the bird’s mostly grey plumage. The amount of white in these feathers (‘tail white’) is greater in males than in females and, as we report here, is greater in birds that have completed a second prebasic moult than in yearlings. During courtship, male Juncos spread their tails, revealing their tail white, and a previous experiment has shown that males with experimentally enhanced tail white are more attractive to females. To determine whether females with experimentally enhanced tail white would be preferred by males, we clipped and replaced tail feathers of females, creating a control group with low to natural levels of tail white and an enhanced group with high levels. We tested preference in a mate choice apparatus like that used previously and found that males courted both control and enhanced females and displayed individual preferences but showed no collective preference for members of either category of females. Because we found neither a preference for trait values that indicate greater age/experience (experimentally enhanced females) nor a preference for less male-like appearance (control females), our results are inconsistent with a role for male mate choice in the maintenance of tail white in females. Female tail white may be subject to selection in another context or persist owing to a genetic correlation between the sexes. Regardless, the sexes apparently prefer different trait values, which suggests that preferences are expressed independently in males and females.
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The Influence of Exogenous Testosterone on the Dynamics of Nestling Provisioning in Dark-Eyed Juncos
Ethology, 2020Co-Authors: Ethan D. Clotfelter, Val Nolan, C. Ray Chandler, Ellen D KettersonAbstract:In many songbird species, application of exogenous testosterone (T) during the breeding season has the general effects of reducing male parental investment and increasing allocation of time and energy to mating. Most studies record the number of feeding trips made by males as a function of their hormone treatment, but few have investigated the ways in which testosterone affects the dynamics of male and female provisioning behavior or the quantity of food delivered by males. We attempt to fill these gaps in our understanding of testosterone and male parental effort by utilizing data from a long-term study on the behavioral endocrinology of the Dark-Eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis). We found that male and female feeding rates covaried positively, although to different degrees, throughout the nestling period, but that this relationship was degraded in pairs in which males were given T implants. We also found that the coefficients of variation in the duration of intervals between successive feeding trips by males and females were highly positively related in broods of older nestlings. Male hormone treatment, however, had no effect on the coefficients of variation in either male or female feeding intervals. Finally, we examined the quantity of prey delivered by males and found no significant effect of hormone treatment.
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Communication Value of Mistakes in Dark-Eyed Junco Song.
The American Naturalist, 2016Co-Authors: André Ferreira, Danielle J. Whittaker, Ellen D Ketterson, Jonathan W. Atwell, Gonçalo C. CardosoAbstract:Sexual signals contain information on individual quality or motivation, and most explanations for their reliability are based on signal costs. A recent suggestion is that signaling mistakes, defined as deviations from typical signal design, provide cues on individual quality, contributing to reliable communication even when signal design is not costly. We describe several atypical song traits in Dark-Eyed Juncos (Junco hyemalis) that may be mistakes during song production or development and occur in up to 6% of songs. These putative mistakes were more frequent in an urban versus a wildland population, and individuals differed in their frequency of mistakes. Some atypical signals were more frequent in younger males or were negatively related to paternity success, supporting the hypothesis that fewer mistakes indicate individual quality. We also discuss unexpected results, such as some atypical signals being more frequent in more ornamented males and in songs with lower performance demands. Song consistency (similarity across syllable renditions) was positively related to male age and paternity success; nonetheless, relations with paternity were stronger when looking at the most deviant syllable renditions, suggesting that the perceptual salience of large mistakes may mediate receiver responses to song consistency. Results indicate that signaling mistakes reveal relevant information to play a role in communication.
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Highly context-specific activation of the HPG axis in the Dark-Eyed Junco and implications for the challenge hypothesis.
General and Comparative Endocrinology, 2014Co-Authors: Kimberly A. Rosvall, Mark Peterson, Dustin G. Reichard, Ellen D KettersonAbstract:One of the best studied hormone-behavior interactions is the transient rise in testosterone (T) associated with male–male aggression. However, recent research on songbirds has demonstrated numerous exceptions to this pattern. One species previously thought to elevate T in response to a simulated territorial intrusion is the Dark-Eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis). Here, we show that under most circumstances male Juncos do not elevate circulating T or CORT levels in response to social stimuli, despite being physiologically capable of elevating T as indicated by their response to GnRH. The lack of hormonal response was found regardless of the sex of the social stimulus (singing male vs. soliciting female), its sensory modality (song only, song + live lure, song + taxidermic mount), or the timecourse of sampling. Notably, males did elevate T levels when exposed to a simulated territorial intrusion in the days following simulated predation of their chicks. Whether the high T seen in these narrow circumstances represents stage-dependent social modulation of T or re-activation of male reproductive physiology in preparation for re-nesting (i.e. socially independent T modulation) remains to be determined. It is clear, however, that activation of the HPG axis is highly context-specific for male Juncos. These results highlight important and unresolved issues regarding the socially mediated component of the challenge hypothesis and how it relates to the evolution of hormone-mediated traits.
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Examining sources of variation in HPG axis function among individuals and populations of the Dark-Eyed Junco.
Hormones and Behavior, 2013Co-Authors: Christine M. Bergeon Burns, Kimberly A. Rosvall, Thomas P. Hahn, Gregory E. Demas, Ellen D KettersonAbstract:Abstract Gonadal steroids are important mediators of traits relevant to fitness, and thus may be targets of selection. However, more knowledge is needed about sources of variation along the endocrine axes that may contribute to functional variation in steroid levels. In a controlled captive environment, we studied males of two closely related subspecies of the Dark-Eyed Junco ( Junco hyemalis ) that differ in testosterone-related phenotype, asking whether they also differ in testosterone (T), and assessing the contribution of the sequential links of the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis. When males of both subspecies were challenged with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), they were similar in circulating luteinizing hormone (LH) and T responses. When challenged with exogenous LH, they again produced levels of T similar to one another, and to the levels produced in response to GnRH. However, the smaller, less ornamented, and less aggressive subspecies had greater abundance of mRNA for LH receptor in the testes and for androgen receptor in the rostral hypothalamus, suggesting potential differences in regulatory feedback. We suggest that circulating hormone levels may be less prone to evolutionary change than the responsiveness of individual hormone targets. Among individuals, T titers were highly repeatable whether males were challenged with GnRH or with LH, but LH produced in response to GnRH did not covary with T produced in response to LH. Testis mass, but not LH receptor transcript abundance, predicted individual variation in T responses. These data implicate the gonad, but not the pituitary, as an important source of individual variation in T production.
Daniel A. Cristol - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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HOMING SUCCESS OF MIGRANT VERSUS NONMIGRANT Dark-Eyed JuncoS (Junco HYEMALIS)
The Auk, 2005Co-Authors: Jeffrey T. Keiser, Charles Ziegenfus, Daniel A. CristolAbstract:Abstract Within a population, the evolution of migratory behavior is accompanied by a suite of physiological, behavioral, and cognitive adaptations. Spatial memory is associated with the hippocampus in mammals and birds; in some cases, hippocampal neuroanatomy correlates with differences in behavior. In a recent study, a migratory subspecies of sparrow, the Dark-Eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis hyemalis), performed better on room-scale spatial memory tests than did a nonmigratory conspecific. Migrants collected after migration also possessed greater hippocampal neuron density, which suggests a neurological basis for differences in spatial memory and a link between migratory behavior and enhanced spatial memory. It is likely that homing behavior, like migration, relies to some extent on spatial memory. In some instances, spatial memory performance has generalized across spatial scales, with pronounced differences at larger scales. We tested whether differences in spatial memory between migrants and nonmigrants, ...
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Homing Success of Migrant Versus Nonmigrant Dark-Eyed Juncos (Junco Hyemalis)
The Auk, 2005Co-Authors: Jeffrey T. Keiser, Charles Ziegenfus, Daniel A. CristolAbstract:Abstract Within a population, the evolution of migratory behavior is accompanied by a suite of physiological, behavioral, and cognitive adaptations. Spatial memory is associated with the hippocampus in mammals and birds; in some cases, hippocampal neuroanatomy correlates with differences in behavior. In a recent study, a migratory subspecies of sparrow, the Dark-Eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis hyemalis), performed better on room-scale spatial memory tests than did a nonmigratory conspecific. Migrants collected after migration also possessed greater hippocampal neuron density, which suggests a neurological basis for differences in spatial memory and a link between migratory behavior and enhanced spatial memory. It is likely that homing behavior, like migration, relies to some extent on spatial memory. In some instances, spatial memory performance has generalized across spatial scales, with pronounced differences at larger scales. We tested whether differences in spatial memory between migrants and nonmigrants, previously observed at a room scale, were detectable at a landscape scale; specifically, we investigated whether differences in homing ability could be detected after displacements of 1–40 km. We found no difference in number of returning individuals or in duration of return. Our results suggest that homing in this species may not rely on aspects of spatial memory that differed in aviary tests.
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Migratory Dark-Eyed Juncos, Junco hyemalis, have better spatial memory and denser hippocampal neurons than nonmigratory conspecifics
Animal Behaviour, 2003Co-Authors: Daniel A. Cristol, Erica B Reynolds, Joshua E. Leclerc, Austin H Donner, Christopher S. Farabaugh, Charles ZiegenfusAbstract:Abstract The evolution of migration in an animal population produces a suite of physiological, behavioural and cognitive adaptations. Migratory birds, in particular, require the ability to return annually to breeding and wintering sites after long journeys, and thus might be predicted to have evolved enhanced spatial memory. In a comparison of two sparrow subspecies that co-occur in winter, the migratory subspecies (Dark-Eyed Junco, Junco hyemalis hyemalis ) performed better than the nonmigratory subspecies ( J. h. carolinensis ) on a room-scale spatial memory test. The migratory Juncos also had more densely packed hippocampal neurons than did nonmigrants. Among nonmigrants, we looked for hippocampal differences between birds that occupied two home ranges annually and those that remained on their breeding territory year-round, to determine whether migration, per se, is related to neuroanatomical differences. However, we were unable to reach any conclusions because of low statistical power. A denser hippocampus could be the basis for better spatial memory in migrant Juncos. Further testing of spatial memory on a landscape scale is needed to strengthen this argument and to understand cognitive differences between migrants and nonmigrants. Copyright 2003 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd on behalf of The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
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Dominance status and latitude are unrelated in wintering Dark-Eyed Juncos
The Condor, 1992Co-Authors: Daniel A. Cristol, David C. EversAbstract:BELETSKY, L. D., AND G. H. ORIANs. 1989. Red bands and Red-winged Blackbirds. Condor 91:993-995. BRODSKY, L. M. 1988. Ornament size influences mating success in male rock ptarmigan. Anim. Behav. 36:662-667. BURLEY, N. 1985. Leg-band color and mortality patterns in captive breeding populations of Zebra Finches. Auk 102:647-651. BURLEY, N. 1986. Sex-ratio manipulation in colorbanded populations of zebra finches. Evolution 40:1191-1206. BURLEY, N., G. KRANTZBURG, AND P. RADMAN. 1982. Influence of colour-banding on the conspecific preferences of zebra finches. Anim. Behav. 30:444455. COHEN, J. 1988. Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Lawrence Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ. HAGAN, J. M., AND J. M. REED. 1988. Red color bands reduce fledging success in Red-cockaded Woodpeckers. Auk 105:498-503. HOLBERTON, R. L., K. P. ABLE, AND J. C. WINGFIELD. 1989. Sta us signalling in Dark-Eyed Juncos, Junco hyemalis: plumage manipulations and hormonal correlates of dominance. Anim Behav. 37:681689. KEITERSON, E. D., AND V. NOLAN, JR. 1976. Geographic variation and its climatic correlates in the sex ratio of eastern-wintering Dark-Eyed Juncos (Junco hyemalis hyemalis). Ecology 57:679-693. KETTERSON, E. D., AND V. NOLAN, JR. 1982. The role of migration and winter mortality in the life history of a temperate zone migrant, the Dark-Eyed Junco, as determined from demographic analyses of winter populations. Auk 99:243-259. METz, K. J., AND P. J. WEATHERHEAD. 1991. Color bands function as secondary sexual traits in male red-winged blackbirds. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 28: 23-27. PYLE, P., S.N.G. HOWELL, R. P. YUNICK, AND D. F. DESANTE. 1987. Identification guide to North American passerines. Slate Creek Press, Bolinas, CA. YUNICK, R. P. 1977. Eye color changes in the darkeyed Junco and white-throated sparrow. N. Am. Bird Bander 2:155-156.
Charles Ziegenfus - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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HOMING SUCCESS OF MIGRANT VERSUS NONMIGRANT Dark-Eyed JuncoS (Junco HYEMALIS)
The Auk, 2005Co-Authors: Jeffrey T. Keiser, Charles Ziegenfus, Daniel A. CristolAbstract:Abstract Within a population, the evolution of migratory behavior is accompanied by a suite of physiological, behavioral, and cognitive adaptations. Spatial memory is associated with the hippocampus in mammals and birds; in some cases, hippocampal neuroanatomy correlates with differences in behavior. In a recent study, a migratory subspecies of sparrow, the Dark-Eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis hyemalis), performed better on room-scale spatial memory tests than did a nonmigratory conspecific. Migrants collected after migration also possessed greater hippocampal neuron density, which suggests a neurological basis for differences in spatial memory and a link between migratory behavior and enhanced spatial memory. It is likely that homing behavior, like migration, relies to some extent on spatial memory. In some instances, spatial memory performance has generalized across spatial scales, with pronounced differences at larger scales. We tested whether differences in spatial memory between migrants and nonmigrants, ...
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Homing Success of Migrant Versus Nonmigrant Dark-Eyed Juncos (Junco Hyemalis)
The Auk, 2005Co-Authors: Jeffrey T. Keiser, Charles Ziegenfus, Daniel A. CristolAbstract:Abstract Within a population, the evolution of migratory behavior is accompanied by a suite of physiological, behavioral, and cognitive adaptations. Spatial memory is associated with the hippocampus in mammals and birds; in some cases, hippocampal neuroanatomy correlates with differences in behavior. In a recent study, a migratory subspecies of sparrow, the Dark-Eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis hyemalis), performed better on room-scale spatial memory tests than did a nonmigratory conspecific. Migrants collected after migration also possessed greater hippocampal neuron density, which suggests a neurological basis for differences in spatial memory and a link between migratory behavior and enhanced spatial memory. It is likely that homing behavior, like migration, relies to some extent on spatial memory. In some instances, spatial memory performance has generalized across spatial scales, with pronounced differences at larger scales. We tested whether differences in spatial memory between migrants and nonmigrants, previously observed at a room scale, were detectable at a landscape scale; specifically, we investigated whether differences in homing ability could be detected after displacements of 1–40 km. We found no difference in number of returning individuals or in duration of return. Our results suggest that homing in this species may not rely on aspects of spatial memory that differed in aviary tests.
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Migratory Dark-Eyed Juncos, Junco hyemalis, have better spatial memory and denser hippocampal neurons than nonmigratory conspecifics
Animal Behaviour, 2003Co-Authors: Daniel A. Cristol, Erica B Reynolds, Joshua E. Leclerc, Austin H Donner, Christopher S. Farabaugh, Charles ZiegenfusAbstract:Abstract The evolution of migration in an animal population produces a suite of physiological, behavioural and cognitive adaptations. Migratory birds, in particular, require the ability to return annually to breeding and wintering sites after long journeys, and thus might be predicted to have evolved enhanced spatial memory. In a comparison of two sparrow subspecies that co-occur in winter, the migratory subspecies (Dark-Eyed Junco, Junco hyemalis hyemalis ) performed better than the nonmigratory subspecies ( J. h. carolinensis ) on a room-scale spatial memory test. The migratory Juncos also had more densely packed hippocampal neurons than did nonmigrants. Among nonmigrants, we looked for hippocampal differences between birds that occupied two home ranges annually and those that remained on their breeding territory year-round, to determine whether migration, per se, is related to neuroanatomical differences. However, we were unable to reach any conclusions because of low statistical power. A denser hippocampus could be the basis for better spatial memory in migrant Juncos. Further testing of spatial memory on a landscape scale is needed to strengthen this argument and to understand cognitive differences between migrants and nonmigrants. Copyright 2003 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd on behalf of The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
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Mate choice based on static versus dynamic secondary sexual traits in the Dark-Eyed Junco
Behavioral Ecology, 1999Co-Authors: Jennifer A. Hill, Ellen D Ketterson, Val Nolan, David A. Enstrom, Charles ZiegenfusAbstract:Some secondary sexual traits (SSTs) such as structural characteristics are semi-permanent or static, while others, such as courtship display, are more labile or dynamic. In this paper we report results from two experiments designed to test the relative attractiveness to female Dark-Eyed Juncos (Junco hyemalis, Passeriformes, Aves) of a relatively static plumage trait, the amount of white in the tail, and a relatively dynamic behavioral trait, courtship intensity. The experiments derived from a study showing that female Juncos prefer males that court more vigorously. We asked whether females also base their preferences on plumage traits and how they respond when presented with a choice between attractive traits that are either static (plumage) or dynamic (courtship) in nature. In the first experiment we presented males to females in paired mate-choice trials and found that males enhanced with more white in their tails were more attractive to females than controls with unenhanced tails. Females spent more time with enhanced males and directed more sexual displays toward them. In the second experiment we tested whether females preferred males with enhanced tails (a static SST) or males with enhanced hormone-mediated courtship behavior (a dynamic SST). In this experiment females did not demonstrate a consensus preference for either the static or the dynamic trait. Instead, some females preferred the male whose courtship performance was enhanced with testosterone, while others preferred the male with an enhanced tail. We conclude that both kinds of traits are important in Junco mate choice, but that some females apparently weigh static traits more heavily than dynamic ones, while other females use opposite weightings.
John K. Colbourne - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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testosterone affects neural gene expression differently in male and female Juncos a role for hormones in mediating sexual dimorphism and conflict
PLOS ONE, 2013Co-Authors: Mark Peterson, Jeong-hyeon Choi, John K. Colbourne, Kimberly A. Rosvall, Charles Ziegenfus, Haixu Tang, Ellen D KettersonAbstract:Despite sharing much of their genomes, males and females are often highly dimorphic, reflecting at least in part the resolution of sexual conflict in response to sexually antagonistic selection. Sexual dimorphism arises owing to sex differences in gene expression, and steroid hormones are often invoked as a proximate cause of sexual dimorphism. Experimental elevation of androgens can modify behavior, physiology, and gene expression, but knowledge of the role of hormones remains incomplete, including how the sexes differ in gene expression in response to hormones. We addressed these questions in a bird species with a long history of behavioral endocrinological and ecological study, the Dark-Eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis), using a custom microarray. Focusing on two brain regions involved in sexually dimorphic behavior and regulation of hormone secretion, we identified 651 genes that differed in expression by sex in medial amygdala and 611 in hypothalamus. Additionally, we treated individuals of each sex with testosterone implants and identified many genes that may be related to previously identified phenotypic effects of testosterone treatment. Some of these genes relate to previously identified effects of testosterone-treatment and suggest that the multiple effects of testosterone may be mediated by modifying the expression of a small number of genes. Notably, testosterone-treatment tended to alter expression of different genes in each sex: only 4 of the 527 genes identified as significant in one sex or the other were significantly differentially expressed in both sexes. Hormonally regulated gene expression is a key mechanism underlying sexual dimorphism, and our study identifies specific genes that may mediate some of these processes.
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De novo transcriptome sequencing in a songbird, the Dark-Eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis): genomic tools for an ecological model system
BMC Genomics, 2012Co-Authors: Mark Peterson, Danielle J. Whittaker, Shruthi Ambreth, Suhas Sureshchandra, Aaron Buechlein, Ram Podicheti, Jeong-hyeon Choi, Keithanne Mockatis, John K. ColbourneAbstract:Background Though genomic-level data are becoming widely available, many of the metazoan species sequenced are laboratory systems whose natural history is not well documented. In contrast, the wide array of species with very well-characterized natural history have, until recently, lacked genomics tools. It is now possible to address significant evolutionary genomics questions by applying high-throughput sequencing to discover the majority of genes for ecologically tractable species, and by subsequently developing microarray platforms from which to investigate gene regulatory networks that function in natural systems. We used GS-FLX Titanium Sequencing (Roche/454-Sequencing) of two normalized libraries of pooled RNA samples to characterize a transcriptome of the Dark-Eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis), a North American sparrow that is a classically studied species in the fields of photoperiodism, speciation, and hormone-mediated behavior.
Mark Peterson - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Highly context-specific activation of the HPG axis in the Dark-Eyed Junco and implications for the challenge hypothesis.
General and Comparative Endocrinology, 2014Co-Authors: Kimberly A. Rosvall, Mark Peterson, Dustin G. Reichard, Ellen D KettersonAbstract:One of the best studied hormone-behavior interactions is the transient rise in testosterone (T) associated with male–male aggression. However, recent research on songbirds has demonstrated numerous exceptions to this pattern. One species previously thought to elevate T in response to a simulated territorial intrusion is the Dark-Eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis). Here, we show that under most circumstances male Juncos do not elevate circulating T or CORT levels in response to social stimuli, despite being physiologically capable of elevating T as indicated by their response to GnRH. The lack of hormonal response was found regardless of the sex of the social stimulus (singing male vs. soliciting female), its sensory modality (song only, song + live lure, song + taxidermic mount), or the timecourse of sampling. Notably, males did elevate T levels when exposed to a simulated territorial intrusion in the days following simulated predation of their chicks. Whether the high T seen in these narrow circumstances represents stage-dependent social modulation of T or re-activation of male reproductive physiology in preparation for re-nesting (i.e. socially independent T modulation) remains to be determined. It is clear, however, that activation of the HPG axis is highly context-specific for male Juncos. These results highlight important and unresolved issues regarding the socially mediated component of the challenge hypothesis and how it relates to the evolution of hormone-mediated traits.
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testosterone affects neural gene expression differently in male and female Juncos a role for hormones in mediating sexual dimorphism and conflict
PLOS ONE, 2013Co-Authors: Mark Peterson, Jeong-hyeon Choi, John K. Colbourne, Kimberly A. Rosvall, Charles Ziegenfus, Haixu Tang, Ellen D KettersonAbstract:Despite sharing much of their genomes, males and females are often highly dimorphic, reflecting at least in part the resolution of sexual conflict in response to sexually antagonistic selection. Sexual dimorphism arises owing to sex differences in gene expression, and steroid hormones are often invoked as a proximate cause of sexual dimorphism. Experimental elevation of androgens can modify behavior, physiology, and gene expression, but knowledge of the role of hormones remains incomplete, including how the sexes differ in gene expression in response to hormones. We addressed these questions in a bird species with a long history of behavioral endocrinological and ecological study, the Dark-Eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis), using a custom microarray. Focusing on two brain regions involved in sexually dimorphic behavior and regulation of hormone secretion, we identified 651 genes that differed in expression by sex in medial amygdala and 611 in hypothalamus. Additionally, we treated individuals of each sex with testosterone implants and identified many genes that may be related to previously identified phenotypic effects of testosterone treatment. Some of these genes relate to previously identified effects of testosterone-treatment and suggest that the multiple effects of testosterone may be mediated by modifying the expression of a small number of genes. Notably, testosterone-treatment tended to alter expression of different genes in each sex: only 4 of the 527 genes identified as significant in one sex or the other were significantly differentially expressed in both sexes. Hormonally regulated gene expression is a key mechanism underlying sexual dimorphism, and our study identifies specific genes that may mediate some of these processes.
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De novo transcriptome sequencing in a songbird, the Dark-Eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis): genomic tools for an ecological model system
BMC Genomics, 2012Co-Authors: Mark Peterson, Danielle J. Whittaker, Shruthi Ambreth, Suhas Sureshchandra, Aaron Buechlein, Ram Podicheti, Jeong-hyeon Choi, Keithanne Mockatis, John K. ColbourneAbstract:Background Though genomic-level data are becoming widely available, many of the metazoan species sequenced are laboratory systems whose natural history is not well documented. In contrast, the wide array of species with very well-characterized natural history have, until recently, lacked genomics tools. It is now possible to address significant evolutionary genomics questions by applying high-throughput sequencing to discover the majority of genes for ecologically tractable species, and by subsequently developing microarray platforms from which to investigate gene regulatory networks that function in natural systems. We used GS-FLX Titanium Sequencing (Roche/454-Sequencing) of two normalized libraries of pooled RNA samples to characterize a transcriptome of the Dark-Eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis), a North American sparrow that is a classically studied species in the fields of photoperiodism, speciation, and hormone-mediated behavior.
