Ancient origin and maternal inheritance of blue cuckoo eggs

Frode Fossøy (), Michael D Sorenson, Wei Liang, Torbjørn Ekrem, Arne Moksnes, Anders P Møller, Jarkko Rutila, Eivin Røskaft, Fugo Takasu, Canchao Yang and Bård G Stokke
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Frode Fossøy: Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
Michael D Sorenson: Boston University
Wei Liang: Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University
Torbjørn Ekrem: NTNU University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Arne Moksnes: Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
Anders P Møller: Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, UMR 8079 CNRS, F-91405, Orsay Cedex; Université Paris-Sud 11, F-91405, Orsay Cedex, AgroParisTech
Jarkko Rutila: University of Eastern Finland
Eivin Røskaft: Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
Fugo Takasu: Nara Women’s University, Kita-Uoya
Canchao Yang: Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University
Bård G Stokke: Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-6

Abstract: Abstract Maternal inheritance via the female-specific W chromosome was long ago proposed as a potential solution to the evolutionary enigma of co-existing host-specific races (or ‘gentes’) in avian brood parasites. Here we report the first unambiguous evidence for maternal inheritance of egg colouration in the brood-parasitic common cuckoo Cuculus canorus. Females laying blue eggs belong to an ancient (∼2.6 Myr) maternal lineage, as evidenced by both mitochondrial and W-linked DNA, but are indistinguishable at nuclear DNA from other common cuckoos. Hence, cuckoo host races with blue eggs are distinguished only by maternally inherited components of the genome, which maintain host-specific adaptation despite interbreeding among males and females reared by different hosts. A mitochondrial phylogeny suggests that blue eggs originated in Asia and then expanded westwards as female cuckoos laying blue eggs interbred with the existing European population, introducing an adaptive trait that expanded the range of potential hosts.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10272

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