ArticleThe Journal of experimental biology2014
The sensitivity of lateral line receptors and their role in the behavior of Mexican blind cavefish (Astyanax mexicanus).
Article in The Journal of experimental biology, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 47 papers.
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Who cites it
47 citing papers in PubMed, 99 citations in OpenAlex.
- Exploring Astyanax mexicanus as a model for unraveling genotype-environment interactions and metabolic adaptations.Lab animal · 2026Review
- Functional significance of morphological variation in the mechanosensory lateral line system of fishes and its biomimetic potential.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Morphological adaptations of cavefish support enhanced hydrodynamic perception for underwater environmental monitoring.Environmental science and ecotechnology · 2026Article
- Water Parameters and Hydrodynamics in Rivers and Caves HostingEcology and evolution · 2026Article
- Article
- Parallel sensory compensation following independent subterranean colonization by groundwater salamanders (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- A Lateral Line Specific Mucin Involved in Cupula Growth and Vibration Detection in Zebrafish.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Extraordinary model systems for regeneration.Development (Cambridge, England) · 2024Article
- Tadpoles rely on mechanosensory stimuli for communication when visual capabilities are poor.Developmental biology · 2024Article
- Article
- Phylogenetic conservation of the interdependent homeostatic relationship of sleep regulation and redox metabolism.Journal of comparative physiology. B, Biochemical, systemic, and environmental physiology · 2024Review
- Sensing in the dark: Constructive evolution of the lateral line system in blind populations ofEcology and evolution · 2024Review
- Lateral line system diversification during the early stages of ecological speciation in cichlid fish.BMC ecology and evolution · 2024Article
- Article
- The role of hydrodynamics in collective motions of fish schools and bioinspired underwater robots.Journal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2023Article
- Changes in local interaction rules during ontogeny underlie the evolution of collective behavior.iScience · 2023Article
- Genetic mapping of craniofacial traits in the Mexican tetra reveals loci associated with bite differences between cave and surface fish.BMC ecology and evolution · 2023Article
- Trait Loss in Evolution: What Cavefish Have Taught Us about Mechanisms Underlying Eye Regression.Integrative and comparative biology · 2023Review
- Changes in local interaction rules during ontogeny underlie the evolution of collective behavior.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2023Article
- Evolution of left-right asymmetry in the sensory system and foraging behavior during adaptation to food-sparse cave environments.BMC biology · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
The characid fish species Astyanax mexicanus offers a classic comparative model for the evolution of sensory systems. Populations of this species evolved in caves and became blind while others remained in streams (i.e. surface fish) and retained a functional visual system. The flow-sensitive lateral line receptors, called superficial neuromasts, are more numerous in cavefish than in surface fish, but it is unclear whether individual neuromasts differ in sensitivity between these populations. The aims of this study were to determine whether the neuromasts in cavefish impart enhanced sensitivity relative to surface fish and to test whether this aids their ability to sense flow in the absence of visual input. Sensitivity was assessed by modeling the mechanics and hydrodynamics of a flow stimulus. This model required that we measure the dimensions of the transparent cupula of a neuromast, which was visualized with fluorescent microspheres. We found that neuromasts within the eye orbit and in the suborbital region were larger and consequently about twice as sensitive in small adult cavefish as in surface fish. Behavioral experiments found that these cavefish, but not surface fish, were attracted to a 35 Hz flow stimulus. These results support the hypothesis that the large superficial neuromasts of small cavefish aid in flow sensing. We conclude that the morphology of the lateral line could have evolved in cavefish to permit foraging in a cave environment.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.