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A flamboyant behavioral polymorphism is controlled by a lethal supergene

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Two new studies show how highly divergent modes of male reproduction in a wading bird are controlled by alternate alleles at a single locus encompassing a 4.5-Mb inversion in the genome. The locus is an example of a 'supergene' controlling multiple complex phenotypes.

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Figure 1: Ruff alleles.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chris D. Jiggins is in the Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,

    Chris D Jiggins

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  1. Chris D Jiggins
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Correspondence to Chris D Jiggins.

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Jiggins, C. A flamboyant behavioral polymorphism is controlled by a lethal supergene. Nat Genet 48, 7–8 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/ng.3472

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