Expansion of learning capacity elicited by interspecific hybridization | Science Advances

Learned behavior, a fundamental adaptive trait in fluctuating environments, is shaped by species-specific constraints. This phenomenon is evident in songbirds, which acquire their species-specific songs through vocal learning. To explore the neurogenetic mechanisms underlying species-specific song learning, we generated F ₁ hybrid songbirds by crossing Taeniopygia guttata with Aidemosyne modesta . These F ₁ hybrids demonstrate expanded learning capacities, adeptly mimicking songs from both parental species and other heterospecific songs more extensively than their parental counterparts. Despite the conserved size of brain regions and neuron numbers in the neural circuits for song learning and production, single-cell transcriptomics reveals distinctive transcriptional characteristics in the F ₁ hybrids, especially in vocal-motor projection neurons. These neurons exhibit enrichment for nonadditively expressed genes, particularly those related to ion channel activity and cell adhesion, which are associated with the degree of song learning among F ₁ individuals. Our findings provide insights into the emergence of altered learning capabilities through hybridization, linked to cell type–specific transcriptional changes.