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Blind cavefish evolved higher foraging responses to chemo- and mechanostimuli
Kyleigh Kuball1, Vânia Filipa Lima Fernandes2, Daisuke Takagi3
1School of Life Sciences, The University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawai'i, United States of America.
Plos One
|May 15, 2024
Summary
Mexican tetra cavefish use enhanced non-visual senses like mechanosensation and olfaction for foraging. Both cavefish and surface fish rely on mechanosensors in darkness, with cavefish showing higher stimulus affinity and unique circling behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Sensory Ecology
- Animal Behavior
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Animals navigate using sensory inputs to locate food, with different species relying on various sensory modalities.
- Teleost fish detect food through visual, mechanical, chemical, and weak-electrical signals, processed by optic, auditory/lateral line, and olfactory/taste bud systems.
- The precise utilization and evolutionary pathways of these sensory modalities in fish foraging remain incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how Mexican tetra (Astyanax mexicanus) morphs, specifically surface fish and blind cavefish, respond to and utilize visual, chemical, and mechanical stimuli for food-seeking.
- To compare the sensory strategies employed by surface fish and cavefish in locating food sources.
- To explore the evolutionary adaptations in sensory systems and foraging behaviors of cavefish compared to their surface-dwelling ancestors.
Main Methods:
- Experimental testing of food-seeking behavior in surface fish and cavefish when presented with visual (beads, pellets), chemical (food extract), and mechanical stimuli.
- Observation and analysis of behavioral responses, including navigation patterns and stimulus-response affinities.
- Comparative analysis of sensory system enhancements in cavefish versus surface fish.
Main Results:
- Neither surface fish nor cavefish followed chemical gradients but used chemical cues to detect the presence of food.
- Surface fish primarily used visual cues in light but shifted to mechanosensors (lateral line, tactile) in darkness, similar to cavefish.
- Cavefish exhibited higher affinity to stimuli and evolved a circling foraging strategy, potentially increasing food capture success.
Conclusions:
- Cavefish employ similar sensory modalities to surface fish in dark environments, with enhanced sensitivity.
- The evolved circling foraging behavior in cavefish represents an adaptation for efficient food acquisition in aphotic conditions.
- Ancestral cavefish likely developed these extended foraging behaviors, mirroring modern surface fish strategies, to adapt to dark environments.
