Phenotypic plasticity as a mechanism of cave colonization and adaptation.

ABSTRACT: A widely accepted model for the evolution of cave animals posits colonization by surface ancestors followed by the acquisition of adaptations over many generations. However, the speed of cave adaptation in some species suggests mechanisms operating over shorter timescales. To address these mechanisms, we used Astyanax mexicanus, a teleost with ancestral surface morphs (surface fish, SF) and derived cave morphs (cavefish, CF). We exposed SF to completely dark conditions and identified numerous altered traits at both the gene expression and phenotypic levels. Remarkably, most of these alterations mimicked CF phenotypes. Our results indicate that many cave-related traits can appear within a single generation by phenotypic plasticity. In the next generation, plasticity can be further re

SUBMITTER: Bilandzija H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7173965 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature