A crowd-sourced genomic project to assess hybrid content in a rare avian vagrant (Azure Tit Cyanistes cyanus (Pallas, 1770))
The aim of this study was to correlate plumage variation with the amount of genomic hybrid content in hybrids between Azure Tits Cyanistes cyanus (Pallas, 1770) and European Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758), by re-sequencing the genomes of museum specimens of non-hybrids and presumed hy...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Avian Research |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2053716623000567 |
| _version_ | 1827819197676126208 |
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| author | Martin Irestedt Filip Thörn Per G.P. Ericson Hein van Grouw Yaroslav A. Red'kin Alexander Hellquist Frank Johansson Johan A.A. Nylander |
| author_facet | Martin Irestedt Filip Thörn Per G.P. Ericson Hein van Grouw Yaroslav A. Red'kin Alexander Hellquist Frank Johansson Johan A.A. Nylander |
| author_sort | Martin Irestedt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The aim of this study was to correlate plumage variation with the amount of genomic hybrid content in hybrids between Azure Tits Cyanistes cyanus (Pallas, 1770) and European Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758), by re-sequencing the genomes of museum specimens of non-hybrids and presumed hybrids with varying plumages. The project was funded by crowdsourcing and initiated when two presumed Azure Tits, observed by hundreds of Swedish birdwatchers, were rejected as hybrids based on minor plumage deviations assumed to indicate hybrid contents from the European Blue Tit. The results confirm that hybrids with intermediate plumages, so called Pleske’s Tits, are first generation hybrids (F1 hybrids). Individuals, whose plumages are similar to Azure Tits, but assessed as hybrids based on minor plumage deviations, are all backcrosses but vary in their degree of hybrid content. However, some individuals morphologically recognized as pure Azure Tits expressed similar degrees of hybrid content. The results indicate that: (1) hybrid content may be widespread in Azure Tits in the western part of its habitat distribution; (2) plumage deviation in backcrosses is not linearly correlated with the genetic degree of hybrid origin; and (3) all Azure Tits observed in Europe outside its natural distribution may have some degree of hybrid origin. We therefore suggest that it is very difficult to phenotypically single out hybrids beyond first generation backcrosses. We argue that decreased sequencing costs and improved analytical tools open the doors for museomic crowd-sourced projects that may not address outstanding biological questions but have a major interest for lay citizens such as birdwatchers. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T01:10:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-48dbdc23f953416db7de3bdd53aeeac4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2053-7166 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T01:10:37Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Avian Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-48dbdc23f953416db7de3bdd53aeeac42023-09-14T04:53:24ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.Avian Research2053-71662023-01-0114100130A crowd-sourced genomic project to assess hybrid content in a rare avian vagrant (Azure Tit Cyanistes cyanus (Pallas, 1770))Martin Irestedt0Filip Thörn1Per G.P. Ericson2Hein van Grouw3Yaroslav A. Red'kin4Alexander Hellquist5Frank Johansson6Johan A.A. Nylander7Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden; Corresponding author.Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Zoology Stockholm University, SwedenDepartment of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, SwedenBird Group, Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Tring, United KingdomZoological Museum, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia; Institute of Biological Problems of Cryolithozone SB RAS, Yakutsk, RussiaDepartment of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, SwedenDepartment of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, SwedenDepartment of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, SwedenThe aim of this study was to correlate plumage variation with the amount of genomic hybrid content in hybrids between Azure Tits Cyanistes cyanus (Pallas, 1770) and European Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758), by re-sequencing the genomes of museum specimens of non-hybrids and presumed hybrids with varying plumages. The project was funded by crowdsourcing and initiated when two presumed Azure Tits, observed by hundreds of Swedish birdwatchers, were rejected as hybrids based on minor plumage deviations assumed to indicate hybrid contents from the European Blue Tit. The results confirm that hybrids with intermediate plumages, so called Pleske’s Tits, are first generation hybrids (F1 hybrids). Individuals, whose plumages are similar to Azure Tits, but assessed as hybrids based on minor plumage deviations, are all backcrosses but vary in their degree of hybrid content. However, some individuals morphologically recognized as pure Azure Tits expressed similar degrees of hybrid content. The results indicate that: (1) hybrid content may be widespread in Azure Tits in the western part of its habitat distribution; (2) plumage deviation in backcrosses is not linearly correlated with the genetic degree of hybrid origin; and (3) all Azure Tits observed in Europe outside its natural distribution may have some degree of hybrid origin. We therefore suggest that it is very difficult to phenotypically single out hybrids beyond first generation backcrosses. We argue that decreased sequencing costs and improved analytical tools open the doors for museomic crowd-sourced projects that may not address outstanding biological questions but have a major interest for lay citizens such as birdwatchers.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2053716623000567CrowdsourcingCyanistes cyanusHybridizationMuseomics |
| spellingShingle | Martin Irestedt Filip Thörn Per G.P. Ericson Hein van Grouw Yaroslav A. Red'kin Alexander Hellquist Frank Johansson Johan A.A. Nylander A crowd-sourced genomic project to assess hybrid content in a rare avian vagrant (Azure Tit Cyanistes cyanus (Pallas, 1770)) Avian Research Crowdsourcing Cyanistes cyanus Hybridization Museomics |
| title | A crowd-sourced genomic project to assess hybrid content in a rare avian vagrant (Azure Tit Cyanistes cyanus (Pallas, 1770)) |
| title_full | A crowd-sourced genomic project to assess hybrid content in a rare avian vagrant (Azure Tit Cyanistes cyanus (Pallas, 1770)) |
| title_fullStr | A crowd-sourced genomic project to assess hybrid content in a rare avian vagrant (Azure Tit Cyanistes cyanus (Pallas, 1770)) |
| title_full_unstemmed | A crowd-sourced genomic project to assess hybrid content in a rare avian vagrant (Azure Tit Cyanistes cyanus (Pallas, 1770)) |
| title_short | A crowd-sourced genomic project to assess hybrid content in a rare avian vagrant (Azure Tit Cyanistes cyanus (Pallas, 1770)) |
| title_sort | crowd sourced genomic project to assess hybrid content in a rare avian vagrant azure tit cyanistes cyanus pallas 1770 |
| topic | Crowdsourcing Cyanistes cyanus Hybridization Museomics |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2053716623000567 |
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