How hummingbirds hover: Natural selection for energetics of hovering flight

David H Wasserman

doi:10.1016/j.molcel.2023.02.029

How hummingbirds hover: Natural selection for energetics of hovering flight

Mol Cell. 2023 Mar 16;83(6):827-828. doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2023.02.029.

Author

David H Wasserman¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA. Electronic address: david.wasserman@vanderbilt.edu.

PMID: 36931253
DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2023.02.029

Abstract

Osipova et al.¹ recently identified an inactivating gene mutation that contributed to the evolution of the hummingbird species by increasing flux of pathways for energy production that are necessary for the unique ability for hovering flight. Lessons from the natural selection for this mutation are applied to physiology and medicine.

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MeSH terms

Animals
Birds* / genetics
Birds* / metabolism
Energy Metabolism / genetics
Flight, Animal* / physiology
Oxygen Consumption
Selection, Genetic