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A gene for color differences between sexes

Nancy Chen

Published 2020 in Science

ABSTRACT

Sex differences in plumage color in hybrid canaries are controlled by a single enzyme Sexual dimorphism—phenotypic differences between sexes of the same species—is a widespread yet puzzling phenomenon in nature. How such traits evolve has fascinated evolutionary biologists since Darwin, whose ponderings about elaborate ornaments in males prompted him to develop the theory of sexual selection (1), and numerous studies have sought to explain the evolution of these traits (2). Less is known about the genetic and molecular mechanisms that allow species to generate divergent morphologies from nearly identical genomes (3). On page 1270 of this issue, Gazda et al. (4) show that sex-specific plumage coloration in hybrid canaries is controlled by a single genomic region containing the gene encoding β-carotene oxygenase 2 (BCO2). Differences in coloration between the sexes are due to the up-regulation of BCO2 expression and consequent degradation of pigments in females, demonstrating that color differences between males and females can evolve through a simple molecular mechanism.

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