Brain and song structure in zebra finches are strongly
influenced by the environment
The song of songbirds is a learned, complex behavior and
subject to strong selective forces. However, it is difficult to tease apart the
influence of the genetic background and the environment on the expression of
individual variation in song. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for
Ornithology in Seewiesen in collaboration with international researchers now
compared song and brain structure of parents and offspring in zebra finches that
have been raised either with their genetic or foster parents. They also varied
the amount of food during breeding. Remarkably, both song and the underlying
brain structure had a low heritability and were strongly influenced by
environmental factors.