Convergent and lineage-specific genomic changes shape adaptations in sugar-consuming birds
High-sugar diets cause human metabolic diseases, yet several bird lineages convergently adapted to feeding on sugar-rich nectar or fruits. We investigated the underlying molecular mechanisms in hummingbirds, parrots, honeyeaters, and sunbirds by generating nine new genomes and 90 tissue-specific transcriptomes. Comparative screens revealed an excess of repeated selection in both protein-coding and regulatory sequences in sugar-feeding birds, suggesting reuse of genetic elements. Sequence or expression changes in sugar-feeders affect genes involved in blood pressure regulation and lipid, amino acid, and carbohydrate metabolism, with experiments showing functional changes in honeyeater hexokinase 3. <i>MLXIPL</i>, a key regulator of sugar and lipid homeostasis, showed convergent sequence and regulatory changes across all sugar-feeding clades; experiments revealed enhanced sugar-induced transcriptional activity of hummingbird <i>MLXIPL</i>, highlighting its adaptive role in high-sugar diets.
Authors
- Andrea H. Gaede (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1909-7004)
- William A. Buttemer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3176-4452)
- Gabriel W. Low (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1276-7618)
- Timothy B. Sackton (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1673-9216)
- Konstantin M. Petricek (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3352-093X)
- Ekaterina Osipova (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6769-7223)
- Philip Ewels (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4101-2502)
- Fanny Taborsak-Lines (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7198-5116)
- Simon Yung Wa Sin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2484-2897)
- Auguste M. P. von Bayern (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0981-9456)
- Michael Hiller (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3024-1449)
- Mai-Britt Mosbech
- Alejandro Rico‐Guevara (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4067-5312)
- Keren R. Sadanandan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6554-8091)
- Amanda Monte (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7871-3404)
- Maude W. Baldwin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7601-8894)
- Antje Bakker
- Meng‐Ching Ko (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2234-9380)
- Douglas L. Altshuler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1364-3617)
- Michael Schupp (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3720-1052)
- Julia Jarrells
- Sylke Winkler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0915-3316)
- Sarah Matthes Edwards (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9032-4804)
- Carolina Frankl‐Vilches
- Susanne Weiche
- M Kuhl
- Chuan Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5165-8273)
- Manfred C. Gahr
- Thomas F. Brown
- Remi‐André Olsen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-8357-5186)
- Martin Pippel
- Daniel Mendez-Aranda
- Ninon Ballerstädt
- Lucia Mentesana
- Orlando Contreras-Lopez
- Nicolas M. Adreani
Institutions
- Goethe University Frankfurt (DE)
- Uppsala University (SE)
- National Parks Board (SG)
- Royal Veterinary College (GB)
- Harvard University (US)
- University of British Columbia (CA)
- Stockholm University (SE)
- Universidad de la República de Uruguay (UY)
- University of Washington (US)
- University of Wollongong (AU)
- Max Delbrück Center (DE)
- Science for Life Laboratory (SE)
- Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt/M (DE)
- Karolinska Institutet (SE)
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (DE)
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology (DE)
- Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture (US)
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (DE)
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (DE)
- German Environment Agency (DE)
- Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (DE)
- Center for Systems Biology Dresden (DE)
- Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry (DE)
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology (DE)
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (DE)
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence
- Universidad de Montevideo (UY)
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology (SE)
- University of Hong Kong (HK)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science
- Published
- 2026-02-26
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adt1522
- Primary Topic
- Diet, Metabolism, and Disease
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00