Data from: Early origin of sweet perception in the songbird radiation

Early events in the evolutionary history of a clade can shape the sensory
systems of descendant lineages. Although the avian ancestor may not have
had a sweet receptor, the widespread incidence of nectar-feeding birds
suggests multiple acquisitions of sugar detection. In this study, we
identify a single early sensory shift of the umami receptor (the T1R1-T1R3
heterodimer) that conferred sweet-sensing abilities in songbirds, a large
radiation containing nearly half of all living birds. We demonstrate sugar
responses across species with diverse diets, uncover critical sites
underlying carbohydrate detection, and identify the molecular basis of
sensory convergence between songbirds and nectar-specialist hummingbirds.
This early shift shaped the sensory biology of an entire radiation,
emphasizing the role of contingency and providing an example of the
genetic basis of convergence in avian evolution.