Using genetics to determine the gametic sex of northern house wrens to study sex-specific song
Faculty Mentor Name
Karan J. Odom
Research or Creativity Area
Natural Sciences
Abstract
Male temperate breeding songbirds often show a dramatic change in singing behavior at the start of the breeding season. At this time, male songbirds transition from singing almost no songs to singing up to hundreds of songs an hour. Until recently, it was thought that female songbirds sang very little or not at all. However, in many species female do sing. However, in some species, like the house wrens (Troglodytes adeon) that we study, female singing behavior is different than in males. Some females sing a lot, although most females sing for much shorter periods of the breeding season (days to weeks compared to 1-2 months in males). Our ultimate goal is to understand the hormones and social cues that mediate this rapid and ephemeral onset of female song in the house wren. To do this, we need know the biological sex of the birds in our study population. In the house wrens (Troglodytes adeon) that we study, males and females look the same and are the same size. In addition, early in the breeding season and in the non-breeding season, males and females do not have any breeding features that to help us identify them. Therefore, we use a specific genetic marker to genetically determine the sex of the birds that we catch. Our workflow includes using a Phire Direct Tissue kit to lyse cells and extract DNA from whole blood. We then amplify a sex-specific region of DNA. We then run a gel of the PCR product. Because females are ZW, the females show up as two bands on the gel, whereas the males (ZZ) have only one band. Our work has been crucial for determining the sex of birds that were used to study the singing behavior of male and female house wrens in our lab.
Using genetics to determine the gametic sex of northern house wrens to study sex-specific song
Male temperate breeding songbirds often show a dramatic change in singing behavior at the start of the breeding season. At this time, male songbirds transition from singing almost no songs to singing up to hundreds of songs an hour. Until recently, it was thought that female songbirds sang very little or not at all. However, in many species female do sing. However, in some species, like the house wrens (Troglodytes adeon) that we study, female singing behavior is different than in males. Some females sing a lot, although most females sing for much shorter periods of the breeding season (days to weeks compared to 1-2 months in males). Our ultimate goal is to understand the hormones and social cues that mediate this rapid and ephemeral onset of female song in the house wren. To do this, we need know the biological sex of the birds in our study population. In the house wrens (Troglodytes adeon) that we study, males and females look the same and are the same size. In addition, early in the breeding season and in the non-breeding season, males and females do not have any breeding features that to help us identify them. Therefore, we use a specific genetic marker to genetically determine the sex of the birds that we catch. Our workflow includes using a Phire Direct Tissue kit to lyse cells and extract DNA from whole blood. We then amplify a sex-specific region of DNA. We then run a gel of the PCR product. Because females are ZW, the females show up as two bands on the gel, whereas the males (ZZ) have only one band. Our work has been crucial for determining the sex of birds that were used to study the singing behavior of male and female house wrens in our lab.
