The small teleost fish Astyanax mexicanus has emerged as an outstanding model for
studying many biological topics in the context of evolution. A major attribute is conspecific …

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 …

Periodic food shortages are a major challenge faced by organisms in natural habitats. Cave-
dwelling animals must withstand long periods of nutrient deprivation, as—in the absence of …

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

Sex chromosomes are generally derived from a pair of classical type-A chromosomes, and
relatively few alternative models have been proposed up to now. 1, 2 B chromosomes (Bs) …

Coding and non-coding mutations in DNA contribute significantly to phenotypic variability
during evolution. However, less is known about the role of epigenetics in this process …

Understanding the genetic basis of trait evolution is critical to identifying the mechanisms
that generated the immense amount of diversity observable in the living world. However …

Hundreds of cell types form the vertebrate brain but it is largely unknown how similar cellular
repertoires are between or within species or how cell-type diversity evolves. To examine cell …

The duration of sleep varies dramatically between species, yet little is known about the
genetic basis or evolutionary factors driving this variation in behavior. The Mexican cavefish …

Background Sleep is characterized by extended periods of quiescence and reduced
responsiveness to sensory stimuli. Animals ranging from insects to mammals adapt to …