Collaborative Research: Evolutionary Genetics and Genomics of Cave Adaptation

洞穴鱼类在许多方面与水面鱼类不同，因为它们在进化中适应了黑暗中的生活。最明显的是，他们的眼睛更小，色素更少，但他们也有更好的嗅觉和味觉，更有效的代谢。所有这些差异都受基因控制；影响重要发育系统的基因拷贝在洞穴种群中不同于在地表种群中。墨西哥利乐的独特之处在于，它既有洞穴形态，也有地表形态。因为它们可以杂交，所以它们提供了通过基因分析来研究差异的机会。在这个合作研究项目中，负责这些差异的基因将通过遗传作图和选定的候选基因的功能分析来确定。该结果将有助于更好地理解控制发育和维持的遗传途径：(1)视觉系统；(2)色素沉着;(3)代谢效率；(4)其他各种生理解剖系统。就更广泛的影响而言，关于洞穴鱼类的工作已经被媒体很好地报道了，这个系统吸引人们兴趣和注意力的非凡能力将对生物学、遗传学和进化的公共教育产生广泛的积极影响。这项研究还将影响本科生、研究生和博士后的培训，特别是在进化和发展的新概念方面。就社会影响而言，这些结果也可能有助于对眼睛退化和代谢紊乱的原因有一个大致的了解，并可能导致更好地了解环境变化（即从地表环境向洞穴环境的转变）如何调节进化变化的方向。

Cave fishes differ from surface fishes in numerous ways because of their evolutionary adaptations to life in the dark. Most noticeably, they have smaller eyes and less pigmentation, but they also have better senses of smell and taste, and are more efficient metabolically. All of these differences are under genetic control; the gene copies in the cave populations affecting important developmental systems differ from those in the surface populations. The Mexican Tetra is unique in that the species has both cave and surface forms. Because they can hybridize, they afford the opportunity to investigate the differences through genetic analysis. In this collaborative research project, the genes responsible for these differences will be identified by genetic mapping and functional analyses of selected candidate genes. The results will lead to a better understanding of the genetic pathways that control the development and maintenance of: (1) the visual system; (2) pigmentation; (3) metabolic efficiency; and (4) various other physiological and anatomical systems. In terms of Broader Impacts, the work on cave fishes has been well covered by the media, and the extraordinary ability of this system to engage people's interest and attention will have broad positive impacts on public education in biology, genetics and evolution. The research will also impact the training of undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, particularly in novel concepts of evolution and development (evodevo). In terms of societal impacts, the results may also contribute to a general understanding of the causes of eye degeneration and metabolic disorders and could lead to a better insight into how environmental changes (i.e., the shift from surface to cave environments) can modulate the direction of evolutionary change.