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Dark world rises: The emergence of cavefish as a model for the study of evolution, development, behavior, and disease
Author(s) -
McGaugh Suzanne E.,
Kowalko Johanna E.,
Duboué Erik,
Lewis Peter,
FranzOdendaal Tamara A.,
Rohner Nicolas,
Gross Joshua B.,
Keene Alex C.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of experimental zoology part b: molecular and developmental evolution
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.823
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1552-5015
pISSN - 1552-5007
DOI - 10.1002/jez.b.22978
Subject(s) - biology , evolutionary biology , trait , diversity (politics) , model organism , genetics , anthropology , gene , sociology , computer science , programming language
Abstract A central question in biology is how naturally occurring genetic variation accounts for morphological and behavioral diversity within a species. The Mexican tetra, Astyanax mexicanus , has been studied for nearly a century as a model for investigating trait evolution. In March of 2019, researchers representing laboratories from around the world met at the Sixth Astyanax International Meeting in Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico. The meeting highlighted the expanding applications of cavefish to investigations of diverse aspects of basic biology, including development, evolution, and disease‐based applications. A broad range of integrative approaches are being applied in this system, including the application of state‐of‐the‐art functional genetic assays, brain imaging, and genome sequencing. These advances position cavefish as a model organism for addressing fundamental questions about the genetics and evolution underlying the impressive trait diversity among individual populations within this species.