UpdatedThu, Apr 29, 2021 at 6:27 pm ET
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Puerto Rican Parrot
As part of a wide-ranging conservation effort, a group of Oakland University researchers has been mapping the DNA of Amazon parrot species from the Caribbean.
The six species are native to the Yucatan Peninsula, in Central America, and the four Greater Antillean islands of Jamaica, Cuba, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. The island species are all under threat, particularly the Puerto Rican Parrot, which has been classified as critically endangered and placed on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
In a paper published in the journal Genes, the researchers mapped mitochondrial genomes of the parrots, providing data that can be used to help save them from extinction. The study featured 18 co-authors from around the world, including four from OU. Graduate students Stephanie O. Castro-Marquez and Walter W. Wolfsberger worked with Special Lecturer Audrey J. Majeske and Assistant Professor T