Advancing Genetic Methods in the Study of Parrot Biology and Conservation
Parrots (Psittaciformes) are a well-studied, diverse group of birds distributed mainly in tropical and subtropical regions. Today, one-third of their species face extinction, mainly due to anthropogenic threats. Emerging tools in genetics have made major contributions to understanding basic and appl...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-10-01
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| Series: | Diversity |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/11/521 |
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| author | George Olah Brian Tilston Smith Leo Joseph Samuel C. Banks Robert Heinsohn |
| author_facet | George Olah Brian Tilston Smith Leo Joseph Samuel C. Banks Robert Heinsohn |
| author_sort | George Olah |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Parrots (Psittaciformes) are a well-studied, diverse group of birds distributed mainly in tropical and subtropical regions. Today, one-third of their species face extinction, mainly due to anthropogenic threats. Emerging tools in genetics have made major contributions to understanding basic and applied aspects of parrot biology in the wild and in captivity. In this review, we show how genetic methods have transformed the study of parrots by summarising important milestones in the advances of genetics and their implementations in research on parrots. We describe how genetics helped to further knowledge in specific research fields with a wide array of examples from the literature that address the conservation significance of (1) deeper phylogeny and historical biogeography; (2) species- and genus-level systematics and taxonomy; (3) conservation genetics and genomics; (4) behavioural ecology; (5) molecular ecology and landscape genetics; and (6) museomics and historical DNA. Finally, we highlight knowledge gaps to inform future genomic research on parrots. Our review shows that the application of genetic techniques to the study of parrot biology has far-reaching implications for addressing diverse research aims in a highly threatened and charismatic clade of birds. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:33:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b05855bdb7d04eb2951853bb4c901809 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:33:56Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj.art-b05855bdb7d04eb2951853bb4c9018092023-11-22T23:03:33ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182021-10-01131152110.3390/d13110521Advancing Genetic Methods in the Study of Parrot Biology and ConservationGeorge Olah0Brian Tilston Smith1Leo Joseph2Samuel C. Banks3Robert Heinsohn4Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, AustraliaDepartment of Ornithology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USAAustralian National Wildlife Collection, National Research Collections Australia, CSIRO, Canberra, ACT 2601, AustraliaResearch Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, College of Engineering, IT and Environment, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT 0810, AustraliaFenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, AustraliaParrots (Psittaciformes) are a well-studied, diverse group of birds distributed mainly in tropical and subtropical regions. Today, one-third of their species face extinction, mainly due to anthropogenic threats. Emerging tools in genetics have made major contributions to understanding basic and applied aspects of parrot biology in the wild and in captivity. In this review, we show how genetic methods have transformed the study of parrots by summarising important milestones in the advances of genetics and their implementations in research on parrots. We describe how genetics helped to further knowledge in specific research fields with a wide array of examples from the literature that address the conservation significance of (1) deeper phylogeny and historical biogeography; (2) species- and genus-level systematics and taxonomy; (3) conservation genetics and genomics; (4) behavioural ecology; (5) molecular ecology and landscape genetics; and (6) museomics and historical DNA. Finally, we highlight knowledge gaps to inform future genomic research on parrots. Our review shows that the application of genetic techniques to the study of parrot biology has far-reaching implications for addressing diverse research aims in a highly threatened and charismatic clade of birds.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/11/521Psittaciformesconservation geneticsecologyevolutiongenomicsmuseomics |
| spellingShingle | George Olah Brian Tilston Smith Leo Joseph Samuel C. Banks Robert Heinsohn Advancing Genetic Methods in the Study of Parrot Biology and Conservation Diversity Psittaciformes conservation genetics ecology evolution genomics museomics |
| title | Advancing Genetic Methods in the Study of Parrot Biology and Conservation |
| title_full | Advancing Genetic Methods in the Study of Parrot Biology and Conservation |
| title_fullStr | Advancing Genetic Methods in the Study of Parrot Biology and Conservation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Advancing Genetic Methods in the Study of Parrot Biology and Conservation |
| title_short | Advancing Genetic Methods in the Study of Parrot Biology and Conservation |
| title_sort | advancing genetic methods in the study of parrot biology and conservation |
| topic | Psittaciformes conservation genetics ecology evolution genomics museomics |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/11/521 |
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