Unraveling the Mystery of Plumage Coloration: Genomic Analysis of MC1R Gene in Galapagos Lava Heron (Butorides sundevalli)
Author: Jaden McCaffrey
Faculty Supervisor: Jaime Chaves
Department: Biology
Many bird species are known for their unique and extravagant plumage. The MC1R gene is responsible for providing the directions to produce the protein melanocortin 1 receptor. This receptor plays an important role in pigmentation, and feather coloration in birds. In the Galapagos Islands, there is a unique sub-species of the Striated Heron, locally known as the Lava heron, which exhibits darker plumage coloration. There has been no investigation into the difference in the MC1R gene of the Lava heron and comparison to the MC1R gene of related species to determine why they exhibit darker plumage. In this study, I investigate the genomic differences in the MC1R gene between the Lava heron and the Zebra finch and determine the MC1R gene sequence of the Lava heron using bioinformatics tools such as Burrows-Wheeler Aligner (BWA-mem), Geneious Prime and PRICE genome assembler. These bioinformatics tools allow me to see whether there have been amino acid changes in the MC1R because of a point mutation. This research will contribute to our understanding of how evolutionary changes occur, and possibly set the stage for understanding how other species of birds that experience darker plumage variations within the Galapagos archipelago.