Baby fish working out: an epigenetic source of adaptive variation in the cichlid jaw.

ABSTRACT: Understanding the developmental processes that underlie the production of adaptive variation (i.e. the 'arrival of the fittest') is a major goal of evolutionary biology. While most evo-devo studies focus on the genetic underpinnings of adaptive phenotypic variation, factors beyond changes in nucleotide sequence can also play a major role in shaping developmental outcomes. Here, we document a vigorous but enigmatic gaping behaviour during the early development of Lake Malawi cichlid larvae. The onset of the behaviour precedes the formation of bone, and we predicted that it might influence craniofacial shape by affecting the mechanical environment in which bone develops. Consistent with this, we found that both natural variation and experimental manipulation of this behaviour induced differe

SUBMITTER: Hu Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5563811 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature