RT null
T1 Data from: Behaviour-related DRD4 polymorphisms in invasive bird populations
A1 Mueller, Jakob C.
A1 Edelaar, Pim
A1 Carrete, Martina
A1 Serrano, David
A1 Potti, Jaime
A1 Blas, Julio
A1 Dingemanse, Niels J.
A1 Kempenaers, Bart
A1 Tella, José Luis
K1 Aves
K1 Behavior/Social Evolution
K1 Contemporary Evolution
K1 Ecological Genetics
K1 Euplectes afer
K1 Passeriformes
K1 Ploceidae
AB It has been suggested that individual behavioural traits influence the potential to successfully colonize new areas. Identifying the genetic basis of behavioural variation in invasive species thus represents an important step towards understanding the evolutionary potential of the invader. Here, we sequenced a candidate region for neophilic/neophobic and activity behaviour - the complete exon 3 of the DRD4 gene - in 100 Yellow-crowned bishops (Euplectes afer) from two invasive populations in Spain and Portugal. The same birds were scored twice for activity behaviour while exposed to novel objects (battery or slice of apple) in captivity. Response to novel objects was repeatable (r = 0.41) within individuals. We identified two synonymous DRD4 SNPs that explained on average between 11% and 15% of the phenotypic variance in both populations, indicating a clear genetic component to the neophilic/neophobic/activity personality axis in this species. This consistently high estimated effect size was mainly due to the repeated measurement design, which excludes part of the within-individual nongenetic variance in the response to different novel objects. We suggest that the alternative alleles of these SNPs are likely introduced from the original population and maintained by weak or antagonistic selection during different stages of the invasion process. The identified genetic variants have not only the potential to serve as genetic markers of the neophobic/neophilic/activity personality axis, but may also help to understand the evolution of behaviour in these invasive bird populations.
PB Dryad
YR 2014
FD 2014-05-23
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10433/9593
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10433/9593
LA en
NO The data file lists genotypes, behavioural phenotypes and relevant cofactors of the Spanish and Portuguese study populations of Yellow-crowned bishops (Euplectes afer).Euplectes_afer_genotypes_phenotypes.txtPublicado anteriormente en Dryad https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.589t0
NO Universidad Pablo de Olavide de Sevilla. Departamento de Sistemas Físicos, Químicos y Naturales
DS RIO
RD May 8, 2026