2021/04/28 by Dahu Zou, Shilin Tian, Tongzuo Zhang +6 · 2 voices · 32 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Biodiversity #Biology #Carrion #Ecology #Endangered species #Evolutionary biology #Genetic diversity #Genetic diversity and population structure #Genetics #Genome #Genomics #Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies #Habitat #Identification and Quantification in Food #Obligate #Population #Population genomics #Vulture #Zoology
paper · pdf · doi:10.1093/molbev/msab130
published in Molecular Biology and Evolution 38(9), 3649-3663 (Oxford University Press)
openalex publication_date 2021/04/28 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
Obligate scavenging on the dead and decaying animal matter is a rare dietary specialization that in extant vertebrates is restricted to vultures. These birds perform essential ecological services, yet many vulture species have undergone recent steep population declines and are now endangered. To test for molecular adaptations underlying obligate scavenging in vultures, and to assess whether genomic features might have contributed to their population declines, we generated high-quality genomes of the Himalayan and bearded vultures, representing both independent origins of scavenging within the Accipitridae, alongside a sister taxon, the upland buzzard. By comparing our data to published sequences from other birds, we show that the evolution of obligate scavenging in vultures has been accompanied by widespread positive selection acting on genes underlying gastric acid production, and immunity. Moreover, we find evidence of parallel molecular evolution, with amino acid replacements shared among divergent lineages of these scavengers. Our genome-wide screens also reveal that both the Himalayan and bearded vultures exhibit low levels of genetic diversity, equating to around a half of the mean genetic diversity of other bird genomes examined. However, demographic reconstructions indicate that population declines began at around the Last Glacial Maximum, predating the well-documented dramatic declines of the past three decades. Taken together, our genomic analyses imply that vultures harbor unique adaptations for processing carrion, but that modern populations are genetically depauperate and thus especially vulnerable to further genetic erosion through anthropogenic activities.