A colorful legacy of hybridization in wood-warblers includes frequent sharing of carotenoid genes among species and genera.

ABSTRACT: Introgression between species has the potential to shape evolutionary trajectories in important ways, but uncovering complex introgression dynamics has only recently been made possible by advances in genomics. Warblers of the avian family Parulidae exemplify rapid diversification and sexual trait divergence, and we endeavored to study historical introgression in the family. We sequenced multiple genomes of nearly every species, constructed a phylogeny for the family, and investigated gene flow across the genome and at genes known for controlling feather color. We found that DNA haplotypes including the gene BCO2, which encodes an enzyme that degrades yellow carotenoids, have spread among genera multiple times-from Vermivora to Geothlypis and from Leiothlypis to multiple Cardellina and Seto

SUBMITTER: Bennett KFP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12698001 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature