polymorphism

BoNE allowed the team to establish the cause of the Yorkshire syndrome -- and pinpoint a specific single nucleotide polymorphism that is protective.

"We would therefore expect these color variants -- so-called polymorphisms -- to be fixed somewhere in the female genome," says Wolf.

The researchers analyzed genetic data from the 3 million 23andMe research participants, focusing on three specific little snippets of DNA known as single-nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs.

The researchers found that the anemones' color variation, or polymorphism, is controlled by different versions of a single fluorescent protein gene.

However, there have not been decisive links between feather colour polymorphism and different environments until now.