ArticleProceedings. Biological sciences2014
Metabolic 'engines' of flight drive genome size reduction in birds.
Article in Proceedings. Biological sciences, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 63 papers.
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Who cites it
63 citing papers in PubMed.
- Flight style and metabolism shape the tempo of genome evolution in birds.PLoS biology · 2026Article
- Article
- Genome-Wide Microsatellite Characterization and Molecular Marker Development of Himalayan Griffon (Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025Article
- Article
- Comparing Small and Large Genomes Within Monogonont Rotifers.Genome biology and evolution · 2025Article
- ZW Sex Chromosome Differentiation in Palaeognathous Birds Is Associated with Mitochondrial Effective Population Size but Not Mitochondrial Genome Size or Mutation Rate.Genome biology and evolution · 2025Article
- High metabolic rates drive tiny genomes in plants (and birds): a commentary on 'The smallest angiosperm genomes may be the price for effective traps of bladderworts'.Annals of botany · 2024Article
- From Micro to Macro: Avian Chromosome Evolution is Dominated by Natural Selection.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2024Article
- A comprehensive study of Z-DNA density and its evolutionary implications in birds.BMC genomics · 2024Article
- Shark genome size evolution and its relationship with cellular, life-history, ecological, and diversity traits.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Adaptive expansion of ERVK solo-LTRs is associated with Passeriformes speciation events.Nature communications · 2024Article
- Remarkably High Repeat Content in the Genomes of Sparrows: The Importance of Genome Assembly Completeness for Transposable Element Discovery.Genome biology and evolution · 2024Article
- Rapid adaptation of cellular metabolic rate to the MicroRNA complements of mammals and its relevance to the evolution of endothermy.iScience · 2024Article
- New methods for estimating the total wing area of birds.Ecology and evolution · 2023Article
- A Reference Genome Assembly for the Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata).Genome biology and evolution · 2023Article
- Comparative genomics reveals insights into anuran genome size evolution.BMC genomics · 2023Article
- LTR Retroelements and Bird Adaptation to Arid Environments.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- The genome of a vestimentiferan tubeworm (Ridgeia piscesae) provides insights into its adaptation to a deep-sea environment.BMC genomics · 2023Article
- Metamorphosis Imposes Variable Constraints on Genome Expansion through Effects on Development.Integrative organismal biology (Oxford, England) · 2023Article
- Pangenomic analysis ofFrontiers in microbiology · 2023Article
3 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
The tendency for flying organisms to possess small genomes has been interpreted as evidence of natural selection acting on the physical size of the genome. Nonetheless, the flight-genome link and its mechanistic basis have yet to be well established by comparative studies within a volant clade. Is there a particular functional aspect of flight such as brisk metabolism, lift production or maneuverability that impinges on the physical genome? We measured genome sizes, wing dimensions and heart, flight muscle and body masses from a phylogenetically diverse set of bird species. In phylogenetically controlled analyses, we found that genome size was negatively correlated with relative flight muscle size and heart index (i.e. ratio of heart to body mass), but positively correlated with body mass and wing loading. The proportional masses of the flight muscles and heart were the most important parameters explaining variation in genome size in multivariate models. Hence, the metabolic intensity of powered flight appears to have driven genome size reduction in birds.
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