Scientists have identified more than 1,500 genetic differences between migratory and migratory hoverflies. A team led by the University of Exeter photographed migratory insects as they flew over mountainous terrain, and organized functional genes to determine which ones determined migratory behavior. This genetic information was then compared to that of summer migratory overflies.
“We have identified 1,543 genes whose performance varies for immigrants,” said lead author Toby Doyle, of the Center for Ecology and Conservation on Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall. ““Migration requires a lot of energy, so finding genetics for metabolism was not surprising but we also identified genes that play a role in muscle building and functioning, hormonal regulation of physiology, immunity, stress resistance, flight and diet behavior, sensory perception and prolong life. “Each autumn, billions of migratory birds migrate from northern Europe on a long journey south.
Their trek takes them across the Pyrenees, where they focus on mountainous terrain. “It’s an amazing sight to see, an endless series of hundreds of thousands of people in a space of 30 meters,” said Dr. Karl Wotton. When researchers began to order these genes for work, they discovered genes that were performed in concert: long-acting insulin expression, immunosuppression methods, and those that lead to the production of octopamine, an insect equivalent to fight or flight hormone adrenaline, for a longer period of time distance range.
“These approaches have been integrated with migratory hoverflies and evolved to allow for longer movements,” said Dr. Wotton. Dr Wotton added: “It’s an exciting time studying genetics for migration.” Our research has already shown a few genes that were previously associated with the migration of butterflies, suggesting the existence of a ‘migratory genetic package’ that regulates them. migration of many animals. “
Source Journal Reference: Genome-wide transcriptomic changes reveal the genetic pathways involved in insect migration, Molecular Ecology (2022). DOI: 10.1111/mec.16588
