Beyond genes‐for‐behaviour: The potential for genomics to resolve long‐standing questions in avian brood parasitism

Abstract Behavioural ecology by definition of its founding ‘Tinbergian framework’ is an integrative field, however, it lags behind in incorporating genomic methods. ‘Finding the gene/s for a behaviour’ is still rarely feasible or cost‐effective in the wild but as we show here, genomic data can be us...

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Main Authors: Katja Rönkä, Fabrice Eroukhmanoff, Jonna Kulmuni, Pierre Nouhaud, Rose Thorogood
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024-11-01
Series:Ecology and Evolution
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70335
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author Katja Rönkä
Fabrice Eroukhmanoff
Jonna Kulmuni
Pierre Nouhaud
Rose Thorogood
author_facet Katja Rönkä
Fabrice Eroukhmanoff
Jonna Kulmuni
Pierre Nouhaud
Rose Thorogood
author_sort Katja Rönkä
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Behavioural ecology by definition of its founding ‘Tinbergian framework’ is an integrative field, however, it lags behind in incorporating genomic methods. ‘Finding the gene/s for a behaviour’ is still rarely feasible or cost‐effective in the wild but as we show here, genomic data can be used to address broader questions. Here we use avian brood parasitism, a model system in behavioural ecology as a case study to highlight how behavioural ecologists could use the full potential of state‐of‐the‐art genomic tools. Brood parasite–host interactions are one of the most easily observable and amenable natural laboratories of antagonistic coevolution, and as such have intrigued evolutionary biologists for decades. Using worked examples, we demonstrate how genomic data can be used to study the causes and mechanisms of (co)evolutionary adaptation and answer three key questions for the field: (i) Where and when should brood parasitism evolve?, (ii) When and how should hosts defend?, and (iii) Will coevolution persist with ecological change? In doing so, we discuss how behavioural and molecular ecologists can collaborate to integrate Tinbergen's questions and achieve the coherent science that he promoted to solve the mysteries of nature.
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series Ecology and Evolution
spelling doaj-art-1cf8a5ba0dc84c558f381548acaf889b2024-12-20T04:20:58ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582024-11-01141112010.1002/ece3.70335Beyond genes‐for‐behaviour: The potential for genomics to resolve long‐standing questions in avian brood parasitismKatja Rönkä0Fabrice Eroukhmanoff1Jonna Kulmuni2Pierre Nouhaud3Rose Thorogood4HiLIFE Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences University of Helsinki Helsinki FinlandCentre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biology University of Oslo Oslo NorwayResearch Programme in Organismal & Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Helsinki Helsinki FinlandResearch Programme in Organismal & Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Helsinki Helsinki FinlandHiLIFE Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences University of Helsinki Helsinki FinlandAbstract Behavioural ecology by definition of its founding ‘Tinbergian framework’ is an integrative field, however, it lags behind in incorporating genomic methods. ‘Finding the gene/s for a behaviour’ is still rarely feasible or cost‐effective in the wild but as we show here, genomic data can be used to address broader questions. Here we use avian brood parasitism, a model system in behavioural ecology as a case study to highlight how behavioural ecologists could use the full potential of state‐of‐the‐art genomic tools. Brood parasite–host interactions are one of the most easily observable and amenable natural laboratories of antagonistic coevolution, and as such have intrigued evolutionary biologists for decades. Using worked examples, we demonstrate how genomic data can be used to study the causes and mechanisms of (co)evolutionary adaptation and answer three key questions for the field: (i) Where and when should brood parasitism evolve?, (ii) When and how should hosts defend?, and (iii) Will coevolution persist with ecological change? In doing so, we discuss how behavioural and molecular ecologists can collaborate to integrate Tinbergen's questions and achieve the coherent science that he promoted to solve the mysteries of nature.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70335avian brood parasitismbehavioural ecologybehavioural genomicslandscape genomicspopulation genomicsTinbergen's four questions
spellingShingle Katja Rönkä
Fabrice Eroukhmanoff
Jonna Kulmuni
Pierre Nouhaud
Rose Thorogood
Beyond genes‐for‐behaviour: The potential for genomics to resolve long‐standing questions in avian brood parasitism
Ecology and Evolution
avian brood parasitism
behavioural ecology
behavioural genomics
landscape genomics
population genomics
Tinbergen's four questions
title Beyond genes‐for‐behaviour: The potential for genomics to resolve long‐standing questions in avian brood parasitism
title_full Beyond genes‐for‐behaviour: The potential for genomics to resolve long‐standing questions in avian brood parasitism
title_fullStr Beyond genes‐for‐behaviour: The potential for genomics to resolve long‐standing questions in avian brood parasitism
title_full_unstemmed Beyond genes‐for‐behaviour: The potential for genomics to resolve long‐standing questions in avian brood parasitism
title_short Beyond genes‐for‐behaviour: The potential for genomics to resolve long‐standing questions in avian brood parasitism
title_sort beyond genes for behaviour the potential for genomics to resolve long standing questions in avian brood parasitism
topic avian brood parasitism
behavioural ecology
behavioural genomics
landscape genomics
population genomics
Tinbergen's four questions
url https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70335
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