A genetic signature of the evolution of loss of flight in the Galapagos cormorant

Abstract

Loss of flight in the Galapagos cormorant Although rare among existing birds, the loss of flight appears to have occurred multiple times in evolutionary history. However, the genetic changes that ground avian species are not well understood. Burga et al . sequenced genomes from three cormorant species and compared them with that of the flightless Galapagos cormorant (see the Perspective by Cooper). They identified variants in genes involved in primary ciliogenesis. Functional analyses of these variants suggest that the impaired function of the genes may be responsible for skeletal changes associated with the Galapagos cormorant’s loss of flight. Science , this issue p. eaal3345 ; see also p. 904