This article tested the cross-species application of the Affymetrix 600K Chicken SNP array in five species of North American prairie grouse (Centrocercus and Tympanuchus genera). This study study provided evidence for successful cross-species application of the chicken SNP array in grouse which diverged ca. 37 mya from the chicken lineage. As far as the authors are concerned, this is the first reported application of a SNP array in non-passerine birds, and it demonstrates the feasibility of using commercial SNP arrays in research on non-model bird species.

This article communicates the results of a study conducted on red-winged blackbirds where brain phospholipid composition during development was measured and diet was manipulated. The dietary study confirmed that nestling brains are sensitive to fatty acid supply. The findings of this article suggest that Red-winged blackbirds may be able to advance cognitive development relative to other altricial species owing to their aquatic maternal diet.

Article describes the results of the One Thousand Plant Transcriptomes Initiative's efforts to sequence the vegetative transcriptomes of 1,124 species that span the diversity of plants in a broad sense (Archaeplastida), including green plants (Viridiplantae), glaucophytes (Glaucophyta) and red algae (Rhodophyta).

Article describes study in which mRNA expression of iGluR was quantified in two sensory neuron clusters of two cohorts of Aplysia californica (Aplysia) at both sexual maturity (~8 months) and advanced age (~12 months) in order to examine if changes in ionotropic L-Glu receptor (iGluR) transcription underlie reduced physiology8