Behaviourally driven gene expression reveals song nuclei in hummingbird brain.
Abstract
Hummingbirds have developed a wealth of intriguing features, such as backwards flight,
ultraviolet vision, extremely high metabolic rates, nocturnal hibernation, high brain-to-body
size ratio and a remarkable species-specific diversity of vocalizations. Like humans,
they have also developed the rare trait of vocal learning, this being the ability
to acquire vocalizations through imitation rather than instinct. Here we show, using
behaviourally driven gene expression in freely ranging tropical animals, that the
forebrain of hummingbirds contains seven discrete structures that are active during
singing, providing the first anatomical and functional demonstration of vocal nuclei
in hummingbirds. These structures are strikingly similar to seven forebrain regions
that are involved in vocal learning and production in songbirds and parrots--the only
other avian orders known to be vocal learners. This similarity is surprising, as songbirds,
parrots and hummingbirds are thought to have evolved vocal learning and associated
brain structures independently, and it indicates that strong constraints may influence
the evolution of forebrain vocal nuclei.
Type
Journal articleSubject
AnimalsBiological Evolution
Birds
Brain
Brain Mapping
DNA-Binding Proteins
Feeding Behavior
Gene Expression Regulation
Prosencephalon
Transcription Factors
Vocalization, Animal
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/11215Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1038/35020570Publication Info
Jarvis, ED; Ribeiro, S; da Silva, ML; Ventura, D; Vielliard, J; & Mello, CV (2000). Behaviourally driven gene expression reveals song nuclei in hummingbird brain. Nature, 406(6796). pp. 628-632. 10.1038/35020570. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/11215.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Erich David Jarvis
Adjunct Professor in the Dept. of Neurobiology
Dr. Jarvis' laboratory studies the neurobiology of vocal communication. Emphasis is
placed on the molecular pathways involved in the perception and production of learned
vocalizations. They use an integrative approach that combines behavioral, anatomical,
electrophysiological and molecular biological techniques. The main animal model used
is songbirds, one of the few vertebrate groups that evolved the ability to learn vocalizations.
The generality of the discoveries is tested in other vocal

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