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Mr. Tyler Boggs
University of Cincinnati

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0 Adaptation
0 Evolution
0 Genetics
0 Molecular & Cellular Biology
0 Astyanax mexicanus

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Review
Published: 12 January 2021 in Diversity
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Extreme environmental features can drive the evolution of extreme phenotypes. Over the course of evolution, certain environmental changes may be so drastic that they lead to extinction. Conversely, if an organism adapts to harsh environmental changes, the adaptations may permit expansion of a novel niche. The interaction between environmental stressors and adaptive changes is well-illustrated by the blind Mexican cavefish, Astyanaxmexicanus, which has recurrently adapted to the stark subterranean environment. The transition from terrestrial rivers and streams (occupied by extant surface morphs of the same species) to the cave has been accompanied by the resorption of eyes, diminished pigmentation and reduced metabolism in cave-dwelling morphs. The principal features of caves most often associated with evolution of these common cave features are the absence of light and limited nutrition. However, a putatively essential cave feature that has received less attention is the frequently low concentration of oxygen within natural karst environments. Here, we review the potential role of limited oxygen as a critical environmental feature of caves in the Sierra de El Abra. Additionally, we review evidence that Astyanax cavefish may have evolved adaptive features enabling them to thrive in lower oxygen compared to their surface-dwelling counterparts.

ACS Style

Tyler Boggs; Joshua Gross. Reduced Oxygen as an Environmental Pressure in the Evolution of the Blind Mexican Cavefish. Diversity 2021, 13, 26 .

AMA Style

Tyler Boggs, Joshua Gross. Reduced Oxygen as an Environmental Pressure in the Evolution of the Blind Mexican Cavefish. Diversity. 2021; 13 (1):26.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tyler Boggs; Joshua Gross. 2021. "Reduced Oxygen as an Environmental Pressure in the Evolution of the Blind Mexican Cavefish." Diversity 13, no. 1: 26.

Communication
Published: 26 November 2020 in Symmetry
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A key challenge in contemporary biology is connecting genotypic variation to phenotypic diversity. Quantitative genetics provides a powerful technique for identifying regions of the genome that covary with phenotypic variation. Here, we present a quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis of a natural freshwater fish system, Astyanax mexicanus, that harbors two morphs corresponding to a cave and surface fish. Following their divergence ~500 Kya, cavefish have adapted to the extreme pressures of the subterranean biome. As a consequence, cavefish have lost numerous features, but evolved gains for a variety of constructive features including behavior. Prior work found that sensory tissues (neuromasts) present in the “eye orbit” region of the skull associate with sensitivity to vibrations in water. This augmented sensation is believed to facilitate foraging behavior in the complete darkness of a cave, and may impact on evolved lateral swimming preference. To this point, however, it has remained unclear how morphological variation integrates with behavioral variation through heritable factors. Using a QTL approach, we discovered the genetic architecture of neuromasts present in the eye orbit region, demonstrating that this feature is under genetic control. Interestingly, linked loci were asymmetric–signals were detected using only data collected from the right, but not left, side of the face. This finding may explain enhanced sensitivity and/or feedback of water movements mediating a lateral swimming preference. The locus we discovered based on neuromast position maps near established QTL for eye size and a facial bone morphology, raising the intriguing possibility that eye loss, sensory expansion, and the cranial skeleton may be integrated for evolving adaptive behaviors. Thus, this work will further our understanding of the functional consequence of key loci that influence the evolutionary origin of changes impacting morphology, behavior, and adaptation.

ACS Style

Amanda Powers; Tyler Boggs; Joshua Gross. An Asymmetric Genetic Signal Associated with Mechanosensory Expansion in Cave-Adapted Fish. Symmetry 2020, 12, 1951 .

AMA Style

Amanda Powers, Tyler Boggs, Joshua Gross. An Asymmetric Genetic Signal Associated with Mechanosensory Expansion in Cave-Adapted Fish. Symmetry. 2020; 12 (12):1951.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Amanda Powers; Tyler Boggs; Joshua Gross. 2020. "An Asymmetric Genetic Signal Associated with Mechanosensory Expansion in Cave-Adapted Fish." Symmetry 12, no. 12: 1951.

Research article
Published: 05 May 2020 in Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution
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Extreme environments often result in the evolution of dramatic adaptive features. The Mexican tetra, Astyanax mexicanus, includes 30 different populations of cave‐dwelling forms that live in perpetual darkness. As a consequence, many populations have evolved eye loss, reduced pigmentation, and amplification of nonvisual sensory systems. Closely‐related surface‐dwelling morphs demonstrate typical vision, pigmentation, and sensation. Transcriptomic assessments in this system have revealed important developmental changes associated with the cave morph, however, they have not accounted for photic rearing conditions. Prior studies reared individuals under a 12:12 hr light/dark (LD) cycle. Here, we reared cavefish under constant darkness (DD) for 5+ years. From these experimental individuals, we performed mRNA sequencing and compared gene expression of surface fish reared under LD conditions to cavefish reared under DD conditions to identify photic‐dependent gene expression differences. Gene Ontology enrichment analyses revealed a number of previously underappreciated cave‐associated changes impacting blood physiology and olfaction. We further evaluated the position of differentially expressed genes relative to QTL positions from prior studies and found several candidate genes associated with these ecologically relevant lighting conditions. In sum, this work highlights photic conditions as a key environmental factor impacting gene expression patterns in blind cave‐dwelling fish.

ACS Style

Connor R. Sears; Tyler E. Boggs; Joshua B. Gross. Dark‐rearing uncovers novel gene expression patterns in an obligate cave‐dwelling fish. Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution 2020, 334, 518 -529.

AMA Style

Connor R. Sears, Tyler E. Boggs, Joshua B. Gross. Dark‐rearing uncovers novel gene expression patterns in an obligate cave‐dwelling fish. Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution. 2020; 334 (7-8):518-529.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Connor R. Sears; Tyler E. Boggs; Joshua B. Gross. 2020. "Dark‐rearing uncovers novel gene expression patterns in an obligate cave‐dwelling fish." Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution 334, no. 7-8: 518-529.

Journal article
Published: 03 May 2018 in Scientific Reports
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The precise mechanisms underlying cranial bone development, evolution and patterning remain incompletely characterised. This poses a challenge to understanding the etiologies of craniofacial malformations evolving in nature. Capitalising on natural variation, "evolutionary model systems" provide unique opportunities to identify underlying causes of aberrant phenotypes as a complement to studies in traditional systems. Mexican blind cavefish are a prime evolutionary model for cranial disorders since they frequently exhibit extreme alterations to the skull and lateral asymmetries. These aberrations occur in stark contrast to the normal cranial architectures of closely related surface-dwelling fish, providing a powerful comparative paradigm for understanding cranial bone formation. Using a longitudinal and in vivo analytical approach, we discovered two unusual ossification processes in cavefish that underlie the development of 'fragmented' and asymmetric cranial bones. The first mechanism involves the sporadic appearance of independent bony elements that fail to fuse together later in development. The second mechanism involves the "carving" of channels in the mature bone, a novel form of post-ossification remodeling. In the extreme cave environment, these novel mechanisms may have evolved to augment sensory input, and may indirectly result in a trade-off between sensory expansion and cranial bone development.

ACS Style

Amanda K. Powers; Shane A. Kaplan; Tyler Boggs; Joshua B. Gross. Facial bone fragmentation in blind cavefish arises through two unusual ossification processes. Scientific Reports 2018, 8, 7015 .

AMA Style

Amanda K. Powers, Shane A. Kaplan, Tyler Boggs, Joshua B. Gross. Facial bone fragmentation in blind cavefish arises through two unusual ossification processes. Scientific Reports. 2018; 8 (1):7015.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Amanda K. Powers; Shane A. Kaplan; Tyler Boggs; Joshua B. Gross. 2018. "Facial bone fragmentation in blind cavefish arises through two unusual ossification processes." Scientific Reports 8, no. 1: 7015.

Journal article
Published: 06 April 2018 in Developmental Biology
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Developmental patterning is a complex biological phenomenon, involving integrated cellular and molecular signaling across diverse tissues. In Astyanax cavefish, the lateral line sensory system is dramatically expanded in a region of the cranium marked by significant bone abnormalities. This system provides the opportunity to understand how facial bone patterning can become altered through sensory system changes. Here we investigate a classic postulation that mechanosensory receptor neuromasts seed intramembranous facial bones in aquatic vertebrates. Using an in vivo staining procedure across individual life history, we observed infraorbital canal neuromasts serving as sites of ossification for suborbital bones. The manner in which cavefish departed from the stereotypical and symmetrical canal neuromast patterns of closely-related surface-dwelling fish were associated with specific changes to the suborbital bone complex. For instance, bony fusion, rarely observed in surface fish, was associated with shorter distances between canal neuromasts in cavefish, suggesting that closer canal neuromasts result in bony fusions. Additionally, cavefish lacking the sixth suborbital bone (SO6) uniformly lacked the associated (sixth) canal neuromast. This study suggests that patterning of canal neuromasts may impact spatial position of suborbital bones across development. The absence of an eye and subsequent orbital collapse in cavefish appears to influence positional information normally inherent to the infraorbital canal. These alterations result in coordinated changes to adult neuromast and bone structures. This work highlights complex interactions between visual, sensory and bony tissues during development that explain certain abnormal craniofacial features in cavefish.

ACS Style

Amanda K. Powers; Tyler E. Boggs; Joshua B. Gross. Canal neuromast position prefigures developmental patterning of the suborbital bone series in Astyanax cave- and surface-dwelling fish. Developmental Biology 2018, 441, 252 -261.

AMA Style

Amanda K. Powers, Tyler E. Boggs, Joshua B. Gross. Canal neuromast position prefigures developmental patterning of the suborbital bone series in Astyanax cave- and surface-dwelling fish. Developmental Biology. 2018; 441 (2):252-261.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Amanda K. Powers; Tyler E. Boggs; Joshua B. Gross. 2018. "Canal neuromast position prefigures developmental patterning of the suborbital bone series in Astyanax cave- and surface-dwelling fish." Developmental Biology 441, no. 2: 252-261.