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Species traits predict the aryl hydrocarbon receptor 1 (AHR1) subtypes responsible for dioxin sensitivity in birds

Date

2020

Authors

Bianchini, Kristin
Morrissey, Christy

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Nature Portfolio

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Article

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Abstract

Differences in avian sensitivity to dioxin-like compounds (DLCs) are directly attributable to the identities of amino acids at two sites within the ligand binding domain (LBD) of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor 1 (AHR1). Recent work suggests that by influencing avian exposure to naturally occurring dioxins, differences in diet, habitat, and migration may have influenced the evolution of three AHR1 LBD genotypes in birds: type 1 (high sensitivity), type 2 (moderate sensitivity), and type 3 (low sensitivity). Using a boosted regression tree (BRT) analysis, we built on previous work by examining the relationship between a comprehensive set of 17 species traits, phylogeny, and the AHR1 LBD across 89 avian species. The 17 traits explained a combined 74% of the model deviance, while phylogenetic relatedness explained only 26%. The strongest predictors of AHR1 LBD were incubation period and habitat type. We found that type 3 birds tended to occupy aquatic habitats, and, uniquely, we also found that type 3 birds tended to have slower developmental rates. We speculate that this reflects higher evolutionary exposure to naturally occurring dioxins in waterbirds and species with K-selected life histories. This study highlights the value of trait-based approaches in helping to understand differing avian species sensitivities to environmental contaminants.

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This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. © The Author(s) 2020

Keywords

avian sensitivity, dioxin-like compounds (DLCs), dioxin-like compounds (DLCs), AHR1 LBD genotype, boosted regression tree (BRT) analysis, environmental contaminants

Citation

Bianchini, K., Morrissey, C.A. (2020). Species traits predict the aryl hydrocarbon receptor 1 (AHR1) subtypes responsible for dioxin sensitivity in birds. Scientific Reports, 10, Article number: 11706. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-68497-y

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DOI

10.1038/s41598-020-68497-y

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