Great to see this interesting paper led by Maude Baldwin and Yasuka Toda is out! It shows an early origin of sweet perception in songbirds, with a sensory shift of the umami receptor. Pleased to be part of it.
Title
Early origin of sweet perception in the songbird radiation
Link to the paper:
Abstract
Early events in the evolutionary history of a clade can shape the sensory systems of descendant lineages. Although the avian ancestor may not have had a sweet receptor, the widespread incidence of nectar-feeding birds suggests multiple acquisitions of sugar detection. In this study, we identify a single early sensory shift of the umami receptor (the T1R1-T1R3 heterodimer) that conferred sweet-sensing abilities in songbirds, a large evolutionary radiation containing nearly half of all living birds. We demonstrate sugar responses across species with diverse diets, uncover critical sites underlying carbohydrate detection, and identify the molecular basis of sensory convergence between songbirds and nectar-specialist hummingbirds. This early shift shaped the sensory biology of an entire radiation, emphasizing the role of contingency and providing an example of the genetic basis of convergence in avian evolution.
Perspective
A shift in taste
Faculty Press Release
A New Holland honeyeater (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae) feeding on Wilson’s grevillea (Grevillea wilsonii), a favorite honeyeater food endemic to Western Australia. Photograph by Gerald Allen (Macaulay Library 271643651).