Mitochondrial phylogeography and molecular evolution of the rhodopsin visual pigment in troglobitic populations of Astyanax mexicanus (De Filippi, 1853).

ABSTRACT: Cave-adapted animals provide a unique opportunity to study the evolutionary mechanisms underlying phenotypic, metabolic, behavioral, and genetic evolution in response to cave environments. The Mexican tetra ( Astyanax mexicanus) is considered a unique model system as it shows both surface and cave-dwelling morphs. To date, at least 33 different cave populations have been identified, with phylogenetic studies suggesting an origin from at least two independent surface lineages, thereby providing a unique opportunity to study parallel evolution. In the present study, we carried out the most exhaustive phylogeographic study of A. mexicanus to date, including cave and surface localities, using two mitochondrial markers (cytochrome b (cyt b) and cytochrome c oxidase s

SUBMITTER: Garduno-Sanchez MAA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10415764 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature