HIDDEN GENETIC DIVERSITY HELPED INBRED BROWN TREE SNAKES CONQUER GUAM

A notorious snake invasion that devastated Guam’s native birds may have succeeded because the reptiles carried hidden genetic advantages. Using advanced long-read DNA sequencing, researchers uncovered more than 19,000 large genetic differences in brown tree snakes, many concentrated in genes tied to immunity and smell.

All Top News -- ScienceDaily reports that a notorious snake invasion that devastated Guam’s native birds may have succeeded because the reptiles carried hidden genetic advantages.

The report adds: Using advanced long-read DNA sequencing, researchers uncovered more than 19,000 large genetic differences in brown tree snakes, many concentrated in genes tied to immunity and smell.

This overlooked diversity may have helped a population founded by only a few snakes survive inbreeding, adapt to a new environment, and multiply to extraordinary densities.

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