A5023226419- Subterranean biodiversity and taxonomy
- Fish Biology and Ecology Studies
- Marine Ecology and Invasive Species
- Fish Ecology and Management Studies
- Ichthyology and Marine Biology
- Genetic diversity and population structure
- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Identification and Quantification in Food
- Turtle Biology and Conservation
- Reproductive biology and impacts on aquatic species
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Amphibian and Reptile Biology
- Plant and animal studies
- Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth
- Parasite Biology and Host Interactions
- Fish biology, ecology, and behavior
- Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology and Behavior
- Animal Genetics and Reproduction
- Enzyme Production and Characterization
- Marine Biology and Ecology Research
- Venomous Animal Envenomation and Studies
- Spider Taxonomy and Behavior Studies
- Chromosomal and Genetic Variations
- Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
- Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies
New York University
2014-2024
Genomics (United Kingdom)
1972-2012
Wildlife Conservation Society
1976-1993
Chicago Zoological Society
1976
In the process of morphological evolution, extent to which cryptic, preexisting variation provides a substrate for natural selection has been controversial. We provide evidence that heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) phenotypically masks standing eye-size in surface populations cavefish Astyanax mexicanus. This is exposed by HSP90 inhibition and can be selected for, ultimately yielding reduced-eye phenotype even presence full activity. Raising fish under conditions found caves taxes system,...
The evolution of degenerate characteristics remains a poorly understood phenomenon. Only recently has the identification mutations underlying regressive phenotypes become accessible through use genetic analyses. Focusing on Mexican cave tetra Astyanax mexicanus, we describe, here, an analysis brown mutation, which was first described in literature nearly 40 years ago. This phenotype causes reduced melanin content, decreased melanophore number, and brownish eyes convergent forms A. mexicanus....
Natural populations subjected to strong environmental selection pressures offer a window into the genetic underpinnings of evolutionary change. Cavefish populations, Astyanax mexicanus (Teleostei: Characiphysi), exhibit repeated, independent evolution for variety traits including eye degeneration, pigment loss, increased size and number taste buds mechanosensory organs, shifts in many behavioural traits. Surface cave forms are interfertile making this system amenable interrogation; however,...
Significance The propensity for weight gain is detrimental to modern human health. However, under environmental conditions where nutrients are limiting, this trait can be highly adaptive. Currently, the genetic basis of population level differences in appetite control and metabolism still largely mysterious. Here, we describe changes that evolved small tetra Astyanax mexicanus as it adapted from surface rivers nutrient-poor environment found caves. We identified coding mutations melanocortin...
Abstract Understanding the molecular basis of repeatedly evolved phenotypes can yield key insights into evolutionary process. Quantifying gene flow between populations is especially important in interpreting mechanisms repeated phenotypic evolution, and genomic analyses have revealed that admixture occurs more frequently diverging lineages than previously thought. In this study, we resequenced 47 whole genomes Mexican tetra from three cave populations, two surface outgroup samples. We...
Cave animals converge evolutionarily on a suite of troglomorphic traits, the best known which are eyelessness and depigmentation. We studied 11 cave 10 surface populations Astyanax mexicanus in order to better understand evolutionary origins forms, basic genetic structuring both populations, degree present day migration among them affects their divergence.
When surface species colonize caves, a characteristic suite of traits eventually evolves over time, regardless species. The genetic basis the inevitable appearance these very similar phenotypes was investigated through quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping 12 that differ significantly between recently evolved (<1 Myr). Mexican cave tetra and its conspecific. were representative set, including eye size, pigment cell numbers, chemical sensitivity, body skull morphology, standard length,...
Significance Relatively little is known about the genetic basis of behavioral evolution, in particular for behaviors without any obvious related morphological changes. We have focused on changes feeding posture that evolved small tetra Astyanax mexicanus as it adapted from life rivers to very different ecological conditions found caves. Using comparative quantitative genetics/genomics, we find differences between surface and cave populations arose independently, through polygenic mechanisms...
Sleep is characterized by extended periods of quiescence and reduced responsiveness to sensory stimuli. Animals ranging from insects mammals adapt environments with limited food suppressing sleep enhancing their response cues, yet little known about the genetic evolutionary relationship between these processes. The blind Mexican cavefish, Astyanax mexicanus a powerful model for elucidating mechanisms underlying behavioral evolution. A. comprises an extant ancestral-type surface dwelling...
Identifying the genetic factors that underlie complex traits is central to understanding mechanistic underpinnings of evolution. Cave-dwelling Astyanax mexicanus populations are well adapted subterranean life and many appear have evolved troglomorphic independently, while surface-dwelling can be used as a proxy for ancestral form. Here we present high-resolution, chromosome-level surface fish genome, enabling first genome-wide comparison between cavefish populations. Using this resource,...
According to analyses of field samples, social inhibition maturation is at work in natural populations the variable platyfish, Xiphophorus variatus. In laboratory, adult males inhibit juveniles; overcome as juveniles increase size. The proportion maturing any collection related number present and size juveniles. more adults, fewer are present; larger average juvenile, greater maturing. evolution this system best understood terms individual selection, but consequences buffer population...
Distinct populations of Astyanax mexicanus cavefish offer striking examples repeatable convergence or parallelism in their independent evolutions from surface to cave phenotypes. However, the extent which repeatability evolution occurred at genetic level remains poorly understood. To address this, we first characterized diversity 518 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), obtained through RAD tag sequencing and distributed throughout genome, seven three groups populations. The represented...
Arbitrarily primed PCR (AP-PCR or RAPD) is a technique for producing species-specific DNA fingerprints. We tested the utility of AP-PCR as source phylogenetically informative characters in three separate experiments, using fishes genus Xiphophorus. chose Xiphophorus standard comparison, because evolutionary relationships within have been studied repeatedly variety techniques. compared our results to "classical" phylogenetic hypothesis synthesized from studies morphological, pigmentation, and...
We used random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting to generate anonymous markers in the fish Astyanax mexicanus, a species with both surface and cave populations. Surface individuals are eyed pigmented; troglobitic forms blind depigmented. hybridized Pachon population produced RAPD genomic map 1064 cM length (about half total of genome) that was screen for quantitative trait loci (QTL) troglomorphic traits. Three QTL reduced eye size, two decreased numbers melanophores, condition...
The blind Mexican cave tetra, Astyanax mexicanus , is a unique model system for the study of parallelism and evolution cave-adapted traits. Understanding genetic basis these traits has recently become feasible thanks to production genome-wide linkage map quantitative trait association analyses. selection suitable candidate genes controlling remains challenging, however, in absence physical genome. Here, we describe integration multiple maps generated four separate crosses between surface,...
Poeciliid fishes are one of the dominant groups in Middle America and West Indies (Rosen Bailey, 1963).They relatively small forms with a highly developed sexual dimorphism.Interspecific differences between males very pronounced, but females differ little.Some species (e.g., Xiphopkorus maculatus) often occur dense aggregates ditches or pools.These ovoviviparous may store sufficient sperm to fertilize ova several successive broods at monthly intervals (Dzwillo, 1959;Hildemann Wagner,...
Sleep is a fundamental behavior exhibited almost universally throughout the animal kingdom. The required amount and circadian timing of sleep differs greatly between species in accordance with habitats evolutionary history. Mexican blind cavefish, <i>Astyanax mexicanus, </i>is model organism for study adaptive morphological behavioral traits. In addition to loss eyes pigmentation, cave populations <i>A. mexicanus </i>exhibit evolutionarily derived increased vibration...