Genomic Analysis of Finches Identifies Genetic Locus Associated with Beak Size (2 of 3) (IMAGE)

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Genomic Analysis of Finches Identifies Genetic Locus Associated with Beak Size (2 of 3)

Caption

The medium ground finch <i>Geospiza fortis</i> (illustrated here) diverged in beak size from the large ground finch (<i>Geospiza magnirostris</i>) on Daphne Major Island, Gal&aacute;pagos following a severe drought. This character displacement was strongly associated with variation at a genetic locus, HMGA2, with a major effect on beak size that has facilitated the adaptive radiation of Darwin's finches. This material relates to a paper that appeared in the 22 April 2016 issue of <i>Science</i>, published by AAAS. The paper, by S. Lamichhaneyat Uppsala University in Uppsala, Sweden, and colleagues was titled, "A beak size locus in Darwin's finches facilitated character displacement during a drought."

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Photo © Peter R. Grant

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