Jeffery William R
Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
Evol Dev. 2008 May-Jun;10(3):265-72. doi: 10.1111/j.1525-142X.2008.00235.x.
Cavefish and their conspecific surface-dwelling ancestors (Astyanax mexicanus) are emerging as a model system to study the microevolution of development. Here we describe attributes that make this system highly promising for such studies. We review how the Astyanax system is being used to understand evolutionary forces underlying loss of eyes and pigmentation in cavefish. Pigment regression is probably explained by neutral mutations, whereas natural selection is a likely mechanism for loss of eyes. Finally, we discuss several research frontiers in which Astyanax is poised to make significant contributions in the future: evolution of constructive traits, the craniofacial skeleton, the central nervous system, and behavior.
洞穴鱼及其同物种的地表栖息祖先(墨西哥丽脂鲤)正成为研究发育微进化的一个模型系统。在此,我们描述了使该系统在这类研究中极具前景的特性。我们回顾了丽脂鲤系统如何被用于理解洞穴鱼眼睛和色素沉着丧失背后的进化驱动力。色素消退可能由中性突变来解释,而自然选择可能是眼睛丧失的一种机制。最后,我们讨论了几个研究前沿领域,丽脂鲤在这些领域未来有望做出重大贡献:建设性性状的进化、颅面骨骼、中枢神经系统和行为。