Fruit Diet Shift Paved the Way for Manakin’s Dazzling Courtship Displays

A multinational team sequenced the genomes of lek-mating manakins and identified genetic signatures linking a transition to fruit consumption with later development of elaborate courtship dances. The analysis shows that modifications in taste receptors and digestive enzymes arose deep in the manakin lineage, predating the emergence of high-speed wing displays, coordinated leks, and extreme plumage that characterize modern species such as the Lance-tailed Manakin (*Chiroxiphia lanceolata*).

Evolutionary origins of manakins’ dazzling dances

Male manakins gather at communal leks in the rainforests of Central and South America, where they clear courts and perform rapid backflips, wing snaps, and coordinated routines. These displays consume large amounts of energy; males can spend up to 90 % of daylight hours performing, and their wing muscles contract among the fastest in nature. Historically, most close relatives of manakins are insectivorous, suggesting a distinct ecological shift in the manakin clade.

Evolutionary origins of manakins’ dazzling dances

The study was led by Christopher Balakrishnan (East Carolina University), Yasuka Toda (Institute of Science Tokyo & Meiji University), and Maude Baldwin (Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence). Nearly sixty researchers from multiple institutions contributed, supported by a U.S. National Science Foundation Research Coordination Network grant.

Evolutionary origins of manakins’ dazzling dances

• Taste Receptor Evolution: Manakins re-evolved a sweet taste by altering a different region of the T1R2/T1R3 receptor than songbirds, enabling detection of fruit sugars.

Evolutionary origins of manakins’ dazzling dances

• Digestive Enzyme Modification: Activity of lactase, an enzyme that in mammals breaks down milk sugar, is markedly reduced in manakins, allowing unripe fruit toxins to pass without hindering sugar absorption.

Evolutionary origins of manakins’ dazzling dances

• Phylogenetic Scope: Comparative mapping across >1,300 related bird species placed the dietary adaptations at the base of the manakin lineage, with subsequent emergence of lek-based mating systems and super-fast muscle traits.

Evolutionary origins of manakins’ dazzling dances

• Selection Signals: Genomic scans revealed strong signatures of sexual selection concurrent with the dietary changes.

Evolutionary origins of manakins’ dazzling dances

The ordered sequence—dietary innovation followed by intensified sexual selection—demonstrates how a single ecological shift can restructure an entire suite of life-history traits, from metabolism to behavior. It underscores the potential for convergent evolution of sweet taste across disparate avian groups.

Evolutionary origins of manakins’ dazzling dances

Balakrishnan noted that comparative genomics highlighted fruit-related genes as the most distinctive feature of manakins relative to insect-eating relatives. Toda emphasized that the independent re-evolution of sweetness illustrates multiple evolutionary pathways to the same functional outcome. Ko explained that reduced lactase activity likely mitigates toxicity from unripe fruit, turning a loss of function into a nutritional advantage. The authors collectively reported that dietary changes preceded the evolution of elaborate displays, establishing a causal framework for future research.

Evolutionary origins of manakins’ dazzling dances

• “Sexual selection varies enormously in strength across animals, sometimes even between close relatives, and we still don't fully understand why,” — Christopher Balakrishnan, Lead Genomic Analyst

Evolutionary origins of manakins’ dazzling dances

• “Manakins re-evolved a sweet sense of their own – and did it their own way, by altering a different part of the receptor than songbirds use,” — Yasuka Toda, Lead Laboratory Scientist

Evolutionary origins of manakins’ dazzling dances

• “But this loss of enzyme activity may help manakins handle the toxins in unripe fruit.” — Meng-Ching Ko, Digestive-Enzyme Analyst

Evolutionary origins of manakins’ dazzling dances

• “When we first saw the signal on lactase, our reaction was: why lactase in a bird?” — Meng-Ching Ko, Max Planck Institute

Evolutionary origins of manakins’ dazzling dances

The sources present a consistent narrative; no contradictory findings were reported. Remaining gaps include the precise biochemical pathways linking reduced lactase activity to energy extraction from fruit and the mechanistic triggers that translated increased energy availability into the evolution of super-fast muscle performance.

Evolutionary origins of manakins’ dazzling dances

Future work will examine how changes in digestion influence other life-history traits, extend genomic analyses to plumage coloration and brain regions governing social behavior, and explore the functional genetics of the “superfast” muscles that power manakin displays. The ongoing NSF-funded research program anticipates additional insights into the interplay of diet, physiology, and sexual selection in this model clade.

Evolutionary origins of manakins’ dazzling dances