{"id":120683,"date":"2024-11-01T03:40:46","date_gmt":"2024-10-31T20:40:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=120683"},"modified":"2024-11-01T03:40:46","modified_gmt":"2024-10-31T20:40:46","slug":"how-parrots-make-their-colorful-plumage-npr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=120683","title":{"rendered":"How parrots make their colorful plumage : NPR"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"storytext\">\n<div id=\"resg-s1-31265\" class=\"bucketwrap image large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"&#10;        --source-width: 4276;&#10;        --source-height: 2635;&#10;    \">\n        <picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4276x2635+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F44%2Fd9%2Fbe46326749de806a008cdc133e3b%2Fparrot72.jpg\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/webp\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4276x2635+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F44%2Fd9%2Fbe46326749de806a008cdc133e3b%2Fparrot72.jpg\" data-format=\"webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4276x2635+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F44%2Fd9%2Fbe46326749de806a008cdc133e3b%2Fparrot72.jpg\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4276x2635+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F44%2Fd9%2Fbe46326749de806a008cdc133e3b%2Fparrot72.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4276x2635+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F44%2Fd9%2Fbe46326749de806a008cdc133e3b%2Fparrot72.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"Rosy-faced lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis) are small parrots that are common and colorful household pets. Parrots such as these use unique yellow and red pigments whose expression researchers now show can be modulated through the action of a single enzyme.\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4276x2635+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F44%2Fd9%2Fbe46326749de806a008cdc133e3b%2Fparrot72.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                Rosy-faced lovebirds (<em>Agapornis roseicollis<\/em>) are small parrots that are common and colorful household pets. Parrots such as these use unique yellow and red pigments whose expression researchers now show can be modulated through the action of a single enzyme.<br \/><b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                    Pedro Araujo<\/p>\n<p>                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><b>toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>        Pedro Araujo<\/p>\n<p>    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Some birds are feathered tufts of color so resplendent that they stand out brilliantly from their surroundings.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have to ask why birds would do this,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/corbolab.wustl.edu\/\">Joe Corbo<\/a>, a biologist at Washington University in St. Louis. \u201cAnd one of the leading hypotheses is that the male has elaborate ornaments or colors that are attractive to the female.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Most birds with bright yellow or red feathers \u2014 think goldfinches and cardinals \u2014 use pigments called carotenoids to make those colors.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe reason that a bird\u2019s egg\u2019s yolk is a bright yellow-orange is because it\u2019s full of carotenoids,\u201d says Corbo. \u201cAnd so then, during development, the bird mobilizes the carotenoids from the yolk and then deposits them in the developing feathers.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-backstage-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap backstage\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Once the chicks hatch, the only way for birds to get carotenoid pigments is to eat them, much like people need vitamins from food because the human body generally doesn&#8217;t make them.<\/p>\n<p>There is a notable exception, however \u2014 parrots. \u201cThey synthesize their own pigments,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cibio.up.pt\/en\/people\/details\/roberto-arbore\/\">Roberto Arbore<\/a>, an evolutionary biologist with the Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources at the University of Porto in Portugal. \u201cThey do not rely on what they get from the diet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Scientists have known about these special pigments called psittacofulvins, but not really how parrots use them to create their diverse colors. Now, in research published in the journal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/science.adp7710\"><em>Science<\/em><\/a>, Arbore, Corbo, and their colleagues describe that a single enzyme appears to be responsible for toggling a parrot\u2019s pigments from red to yellow.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-31266\" class=\"bucketwrap image large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"&#10;        --source-width: 4672;&#10;        --source-height: 6039;&#10;    \">\n        <picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4672x6039+0+0\/resize\/400\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff6%2F04%2Fb7c92947456a8ef36e8fe73cfaed%2Fdsz04844.jpg 400w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4672x6039+0+0\/resize\/600\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff6%2F04%2Fb7c92947456a8ef36e8fe73cfaed%2Fdsz04844.jpg 600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4672x6039+0+0\/resize\/800\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff6%2F04%2Fb7c92947456a8ef36e8fe73cfaed%2Fdsz04844.jpg 800w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4672x6039+0+0\/resize\/900\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff6%2F04%2Fb7c92947456a8ef36e8fe73cfaed%2Fdsz04844.jpg 900w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4672x6039+0+0\/resize\/1200\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff6%2F04%2Fb7c92947456a8ef36e8fe73cfaed%2Fdsz04844.jpg 1200w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4672x6039+0+0\/resize\/1600\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff6%2F04%2Fb7c92947456a8ef36e8fe73cfaed%2Fdsz04844.jpg 1600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4672x6039+0+0\/resize\/1800\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff6%2F04%2Fb7c92947456a8ef36e8fe73cfaed%2Fdsz04844.jpg 1800w\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4672x6039+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff6%2F04%2Fb7c92947456a8ef36e8fe73cfaed%2Fdsz04844.jpg\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1300px) 763px, (min-width: 1025px) calc(100vw - 496px), (min-width: 768px) calc(100vw - 171px), calc(100vw - 30px)\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4672x6039+0+0\/resize\/400\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff6%2F04%2Fb7c92947456a8ef36e8fe73cfaed%2Fdsz04844.jpg 400w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4672x6039+0+0\/resize\/600\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff6%2F04%2Fb7c92947456a8ef36e8fe73cfaed%2Fdsz04844.jpg 600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4672x6039+0+0\/resize\/800\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff6%2F04%2Fb7c92947456a8ef36e8fe73cfaed%2Fdsz04844.jpg 800w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4672x6039+0+0\/resize\/900\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff6%2F04%2Fb7c92947456a8ef36e8fe73cfaed%2Fdsz04844.jpg 900w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4672x6039+0+0\/resize\/1200\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff6%2F04%2Fb7c92947456a8ef36e8fe73cfaed%2Fdsz04844.jpg 1200w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4672x6039+0+0\/resize\/1600\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff6%2F04%2Fb7c92947456a8ef36e8fe73cfaed%2Fdsz04844.jpg 1600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4672x6039+0+0\/resize\/1800\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff6%2F04%2Fb7c92947456a8ef36e8fe73cfaed%2Fdsz04844.jpg 1800w\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4672x6039+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff6%2F04%2Fb7c92947456a8ef36e8fe73cfaed%2Fdsz04844.jpg\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1300px) 763px, (min-width: 1025px) calc(100vw - 496px), (min-width: 768px) calc(100vw - 171px), calc(100vw - 30px)\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4672x6039+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff6%2F04%2Fb7c92947456a8ef36e8fe73cfaed%2Fdsz04844.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4672x6039+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff6%2F04%2Fb7c92947456a8ef36e8fe73cfaed%2Fdsz04844.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"The dusky lory (Pseudeos fuscata) is a parrot native to New Guinea, with red and yellow colors that coexist in natural populations. Researchers leveraged this extremely rare phenomenon to identify an enzyme responsible for modulating the expression of parrot-specific red and yellow pigments - psittacofulvins.\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                The dusky lory (<em>Pseudeos fuscata<\/em>) is a parrot native to New Guinea, with red and yellow colors that coexist in natural populations. Researchers leveraged this extremely rare phenomenon to identify an enzyme responsible for modulating the expression of parrot-specific red and yellow pigments &#8211; psittacofulvins.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                    Pedro Araujo\/Pedro Araujo<\/p>\n<p>                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><b>toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>        Pedro Araujo\/Pedro Araujo<\/p>\n<p>    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"edTag\">Of lories and lovebirds<\/h3>\n<p>The researchers turned to the dusky lory \u2014 a parrot the size of an eggplant \u2014 to begin their experiments. \u201cIt\u2019s a very obscure species that lives in remote places,\u201d says Arbore. \u201cThey come from Papua New Guinea.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The dusky lory is black, and ringed with either red or yellow plumage. \u201cThe yellow color is dominant to the red genetically,\u201d explains Corbo. He says they were able to trace this red versus yellow either-or coloration back to a single gene that makes an enzyme called <em>ALDH3A2<\/em>. It actually shows up in lots of creatures, but in the dusky lory, the enzyme converts the red psittacofulvin into the yellow one by making a small change to the pigment molecule.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-secondary-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap secondary\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cThe animal appears to be able to control the expression levels of this enzyme,\u201d says Corbo, \u201cand thereby tune the relative ratio of red to yellow pigment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When Corbo and his colleagues looked at another kind of parrot called the rosy-faced lovebird, they found the enzyme at work there, too, doing the same thing. They suspect it\u2019s true in a wide range of parrot species.<\/p>\n<p>Just to be sure they had it right, the team conducted another experiment with yeast. They turned them into little biochemical factories that produced the red parrot pigment. They then genetically engineered some of those yeast to make the color-changing enzyme as well.<\/p>\n<p>Sure enough, when the enzyme was present, they found a massive increase in the yellow pigment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis was the final proof,\u201d says Arbore. \u201cSo now we know definitely a little bit more about how one of the most colorful groups of animals in the world make their colors.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"edTag\">A portal into parrots<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cIt is a huge step forward in avian color genetics,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rosalynpricewaldman.com\/home\">Rosalyn Price-Waldman<\/a>, an evolutionary biologist finishing her PhD at Princeton University. She wasn\u2019t involved in the research. She admires the experimental approach that relied on lories and lovebirds, species about which scientists know relatively little.<\/p>\n<p>Price-Waldman adds that the findings open the door to asking what else these colors may reveal about parrots.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople are very interested in what the pigment content of a feather can tell us about an organism\u2019s health or stress or other aspects of its biology,\u201d she says. That includes their physiology, lifestyle, and behavior. \u201cThese are all important components of parrot biology that knowing a little bit more about psittacofulvins could help us investigate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Arbore agrees this is just the beginning. \u201cI will say it actually adds a new layer of magic,\u201d he says. \u201cI never worked with parrots before, and now I\u2019m considering working on them for the rest of my career.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-third-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap third\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Next up, Arbore and his colleagues want to examine the genes in parrots responsible for creating the color blue.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2024\/10\/31\/nx-s1-5172211\/polly-rainbow-parrots-colorful-plumage-feathers\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rosy-faced lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis) are small parrots that are common and colorful household pets. Parrots such as these use unique yellow and red pigments whose expression researchers now show can &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=120683\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8628],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-120683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-science","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=120683"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120683\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=120683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=120683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=120683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}