Animals have colonized the entire world from rather moderate to the harshest environments,
some of these so extreme that only few animals are able to survive. Cave environments …

Animals inhabiting the darkness of caves are generally blind and de-pigmented, regardless
of the phylum they belong to. Survival in this environment is an enormous challenge, the …

Understanding the molecular basis of repeatedly evolved phenotypes can yield key insights
into the evolutionary process. Quantifying gene flow between populations is especially …

Background Cavefish populations belonging to the Mexican tetra species Astyanax
mexicanus are outstanding models to study the tempo and mode of adaptation to a radical …

The eyed surface form and eyeless cave form of the Mexican tetra Astyanax mexicanus
experience stark differences in the daily periodicities of light, food and predation, factors …

Specialized subterranean species are iconic examples of convergent evolution driven by
environmental constraints, representing an ideal model system for eco-evolutionary studies …

Environmental perturbation can drive behavioral evolution and associated changes in brain
structure and function. The Mexican fish species, Astyanax mexicanus, includes eyed river …

Circadian rhythms are nearly ubiquitous throughout nature, suggesting they are critical for
survival in diverse environments. Organisms inhabiting largely arrhythmic environments …

Feeding strategies are dependent on multi-modal sensory processing, that integrates visual,
chemosensory, and mechanoreceptive cues. In many fish species, local environments and …

Natural variations in sensory systems constitute adaptive responses to the environment.
Here, we compared sensory placode development in the blind cave-adapted morph and the …