Natural populations often experience the weakening or removal of a source of selection that
had been important in the maintenance of one or more traits. Here we refer to these …

Parallel phenotypic diversification in closely related species is a rigorous framework for
testing the role of natural selection in evolution. Do parallel phenotypes always diversify by …

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

Despite recent advances in the understanding of morphological evolution, the genetic
underpinnings of behavioral and physiological evolution remain largely unknown. Here, we …

Natural populations subjected to strong environmental selection pressures offer a window
into the genetic underpinnings of evolutionary change. Cavefish populations, Astyanax …

One hypothesis for the reduction of vision in cave animals, such as the eyeless Mexican
cavefish, is the high energetic cost of neural tissue and low food availability in subterranean …

A diverse group of animals, including members of most major phyla, have adapted to life in
the perpetual darkness of caves. These animals are united by the convergence of two …

The evolution of degenerate characteristics remains a poorly understood phenomenon. Only
recently has the identification of mutations underlying regressive phenotypes become …

Identifying the genetic factors that underlie complex traits is central to understanding the
mechanistic underpinnings of evolution. Cave-dwelling Astyanax mexicanus populations …

Summary Background Surface populations of Astyanax mexicanus, living in rivers like their
common ancestors, school, while several, independently derived cave populations of the …