Clock gene variation is associated with breeding phenology and maybe under directional selection in the migratory barn swallow.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In diverse taxa, photoperiodic responses that cause seasonal physiological and behavioural shifts are controlled by genes, including the vertebrate Clock orthologues, that encode for circadian oscillator mechanisms. While the genetic network behind circadian rhythms is well described, relatively few reports exist of the phenological consequences of and selection on Clock genes in the wild. Here, we investigated variation in breeding phenology in relation to Clock genetic diversity in a long-distance migratory bird, the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica).

Methodology/principal findings

In a sample of 922 adult barn swallows from a single population breeding in Italy we found one very common (Q(7)) and three rare (Q(5), Q(6), Q(8)) length variants of a functionally sign

SUBMITTER: Caprioli M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3323641 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature