Echolocation call frequency variation in horseshoe bats: molecular basis revealed by comparative transcriptomics.

ABSTRACT: Recently diverged taxa with contrasting phenotypes offer opportunities for unravelling the genetic basis of phenotypic variation in nature. Horseshoe bats are a speciose group that exhibit a derived form of high-duty cycle echolocation in which the inner ear is finely tuned to echoes of the narrowband call frequency. Here, by focusing on three recently diverged subspecies of the intermediate horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus affinis) that display divergent echolocation call frequencies, we aim to identify candidate loci putatively involved in hearing frequency variation. We used de novo transcriptome sequencing of two mainland taxa (himalayanus and macrurus) and one island taxon (hainanus) to compare expression profiles of thousands of genes. By comparing taxa with div

SUBMITTER: Sun H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7542777 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature