Article
Flight style and metabolism shape the tempo of genome evolution in birds.
PLoS biology - 1 Jul 2026
Ji Yanzhu, Wu Lei, Li Dongming, Feng Shaohong, Fang Qi, Xiong Ying, Chang Yongbin, Cooper Jacob C, Yu Xin, Zhang Kai, Tang Shiyu, She Huishang, Wang Huan, Zhang Dezhi, Song Gang, Fan Ping, Zhou Jiaogen, Ma Liang, Qu Yanhua, Jia Chenxi, Sheard Catherine, DeWoody James Andrew, Tobias Joseph A, Zhang Guojie, Zhai Weiwei, Lei Fumin
Abstract excerpt
As a hallmark of avian ecological innovation, powered flight has fundamentally shaped diverse aspects of birds. The energy demand of flight may have mutagenic impacts on genomes, influencing how fast genomes evolve. However, the relationship between flight, metabolism, and evolutionary rates remains relatively underexplored. Leveraging 363 newly available avian genomes from >90% of avian families, we quantified...
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