Post by L Roebuck on Jan 4, 2009 9:02:13 GMT -5
Convergent loss of pigmentation in cavefish
One of the established cool examples of convergent evolution (which for my purposes here I'll define loosely here as the evolution of different populations to the same phenotype via different mutations) has been the repeated loss of pigmentation (and eyes) in fish that have adapted to life in light-poor, nutrient-poor caves. In 2006, a group reported that albinism (panel J in the picture) in several of these caves was due to mutations in OCA2 (a SNP in a regulatory region of this gene also causes blue eyes in humans).
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One of the established cool examples of convergent evolution (which for my purposes here I'll define loosely here as the evolution of different populations to the same phenotype via different mutations) has been the repeated loss of pigmentation (and eyes) in fish that have adapted to life in light-poor, nutrient-poor caves. In 2006, a group reported that albinism (panel J in the picture) in several of these caves was due to mutations in OCA2 (a SNP in a regulatory region of this gene also causes blue eyes in humans).
Full Text