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ADAPTIVE EVOLUTION OF SLEEP LOSS AND ALBINISM THROUGH MUTATIONS IN OCA2 IN ASTYANAX MEXICANUS

Adaptation to any environment through the course of its evolution involves the alteration of multiple traits to ensure survival, Astyanax mexicanus is a notable example of this. Some of the most notable differences between the surface and cave populations are loss of pigmentation, decreased sleep, and reduced eyes. 208 surface – cave F2 hybrids were assessed for several morphological and behavioral phenotypes. There were significant differences found between pigmented and albino individuals, raising the question of a shared genetic basis for these traits. Oculocutaneous albinism 2 (oca2) is a notable contributor to albinism in many species, including A. mexicanus. Surface fish with CRISPR mutations at oca2 confirmed a contribution of oca2 in sleep loss within albino cavefish. Further, it was determined that oca2 is under selection and possibly has a pleiotropic function, which underlies the adaptive evolution of sleep loss and albinism. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:fau.edu/oai:fau.digital.flvc.org:fau_64709
ContributorsO'Gorman, Morgan (author), Keene, Alex (Thesis advisor), Florida Atlantic University (Degree grantor), Department of Biological Sciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
PublisherFlorida Atlantic University
Source SetsFlorida Atlantic University
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation, Text
Format45 p., application/pdf
RightsCopyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder., http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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