Research
Egg mimicry leaves its mark on mitochondria
Nature · By Homa Papoli-Yazdi ·
The Brief
- A study in Nature Ecology & Evolution, published online 13 November 2026, examines the brood parasitic cuckoo finch.
- Selection on egg colour genes is reported to accelerate evolution of the maternally co-inherited W chromosome and mitochondrial DNA.
- The source describes this as driving mitonuclear divergence.
Why it matters
The findings show that selection on a visible trait can shape maternally inherited genomes, offering a case study of how mitochondrial and nuclear genes may evolve in coordination or conflict.
Who’s affected
- evolutionary biologists
- researchers studying mitonuclear interactions and brood parasitism
- #evolution
- #mitochondria
- #brood parasitism
- #cuckoo finch
- #egg colour
Nature Ecology & Evolution, Published online: 13 November 2026; doi:10.1038/s41559-026-03244-6 Selection on egg colour genes accelerates evolution of the maternally co-inherited W chromosome and mitochondrial DNA in the brood parasitic cuckoo finch, driving mitonuclear…
Timeline
Study published online in Nature Ecology & Evolution
nature.com
Egg mimicry leaves its mark on mitochondria