Genomic evidence of a functional RH2 opsin in New Zealand parrots and implications for pest control

Abstract

ABSTRACT Recent genomic evidence suggest that kea (Nestor notabilis) have a non-functional RH2 opsin gene potentially leading to impaired vision in the green region of the electromagnetic spectrum. In New Zealand, it is standard procedure to add green dye to aerial poison baits used in mammalian predator control operations to deter native birds from eating toxic bait. A visual deficiency could impact how kea perceive and interact with green-dyed baits and thus have unforeseen consequences for kea conservation. Here, we sequenced the partial RH2 gene of seven wild kea and re-analysed the kea genome raw sequencing data of the RH2 locus. We demonstrate that the reported premature stop codon is most likely an assembly artefact. An extended analysis of the published genomes of all three extant New Zealand parrots of the superfamily Strigopoidea confirms that the RH2 gene is functional in this entire group.