Divergent evolutionary pathways for aggression and territoriality in Astyanax cavefish

By

Espinasa, Luis
Collins, Emily
Ornelas García, C. Patricia
Rétaux, Sylvie
Rohner, Nicolas
Rutkowski, Jennifer

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2022

Original Publication

Subterranean Biology

Volume

43

Pages

169--183

Subjects

Abra , Behavior , stygobyte , troglobite

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.73.79318

 

Abstract

The surface morph of the Mexican tetra fish (Astyanax mexicanus) exhibits strong territoriality behavior and high levels of aggression. In contrast, the eyeless cave-adapted morph from Sierra de El Abra, México, rarely are aggressive and have totally lost the territorial behavior. These behaviors are part of what has been called the cavefish behavioral syndrome. Here, we report that several Astyanax cave populations of Sierra de Guatemala, unlike those reported for the Sierra de El Abra cave populations, display significant territoriality and aggression when confined into a reduced space. We discuss divergent evolutionary trajectories in terms of agonistic behavior for cavefish populations inhabiting different mountain ranges.