Passenger pigeon genome shows effects of natural selection in a huge population
3 institutional releases
Published in Science · View the paper (DOI)
A new study analyzes DNA from museum specimens and finds that passenger pigeons' low genetic diversity was caused by natural selection, which spread beneficial mutations rapidly and eliminated deleterious ones. The research suggests that the species' adaptation to large flocks may have become a liability when their population declined.
Coverage from 3 institutions
- Passenger pigeon genome shows effects of natural selection in a huge population University of California - Santa Cruz · Nov 16, 2017 · first to report
- Passenger pigeon case study: How even large, stable populations may be at risk for extinction American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) · Nov 16, 2017
- Why did the passenger pigeon die out? Norwegian University of Science and Technology · Jan 11, 2018