Genomic approaches have been applied to a broad scope of
natural behaviours in nonmodel organisms These studies
typically use whole genome transcriptomic analyses of gene
expression or mRNA abundance in the brain, comparing expression
profiles across individuals with different behavioural phenotypes.
Because gene expression analyses have been used most extensively
to couple genome dynamics to behaviour, we will primarily focus
on this type of measurement throughout the essay. Other ‘omic’
levels of organization are also
useful in interpreting behaviour , but are beyond the scope of this essay.