Over thousands of years, cavefish evolved to lose their vision, earning them the name “blind cavefish.” However, some blind cavefish marked with taste buds on the head and chin. In a recent study published in the journal Communications Biology, scientists at the University of Cincinnati determined when these taste buds start to appear outside the oral cavity.
| Date | August 15, 2024 |
| Source | University of Cincinnati |
| Summary | A biologist from the University of Cincinnati has studied blind cavefish, a species found in the cave ponds of Mexico. The research focused on the timeline for when these fish develop extra taste buds on their head and chin. The study revealed that this expansion of taste buds begins at around five months of age and continues as the fish mature into adulthood. |
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How blind cavefish marked with taste buds on the head and chin
- The research focused on blind cavefish that evolved in cave ponds in northeastern Mexico. These fish are pale pink and nearly translucent compared to their silvery, surface-dwelling counterparts, which have large, round eyes giving them a perpetually surprised look. Despite these physical differences, both fish are considered the same species.
- Regression, such as the loss of eyesight and pigmentation, is a well-studied phenomenon, but the biological bases of constructive features are less well understood in the evolution and development of cave-dwelling vertebrates.
- In the 1960s, scientists discovered that certain populations of blind cavefish had extra taste buds on their head and chin. However, there was little follow-up on the developmental or genetic processes behind this unusual trait, according to researcher. To investigate when these extra taste buds appear research team studied the species Astyanax mexicanus, including two separate cavefish populations from the Pachon and Tinaja caves in northwestern Mexico, known for having additional taste buds.
- The research revealed that the number of taste buds in cavefish is similar to that of surface fish from birth until about five months of age. After this period, the taste buds begin to increase in number and appear on the head and chin, continuing to accumulate well into adulthood, around 18 months.
- Cavefish can live much longer than 18 months in both nature and captivity, and the researchers suspect that even more taste buds develop as the fish age. While the timing of taste bud appearance was comparable between the Pachon and Tinaja cavefish populations, there were differences in the density and timing of expansion, Gross noted. Another surprising finding was the genetic basis of this trait: Despite the complexity of this feature, it seems that the increased number of taste buds on the head is mainly controlled by just two regions of the genome.
- The increase in taste buds corresponds with the time cavefish stop consuming live prey and begin to pursue other food sources, such as bat guano, according to researcher. Interestingly, this expansion may also occur in caves without bat populations.
- The additional taste buds likely give cavefish a more refined sense of taste, which Gross believes is an adaptive trait. It remains unclear what the precise functional and adaptive relevance of this enhanced taste system is leading the team to begin new studies that expose the fish to different flavors like sour, sweet, and bitter.