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Liu Y, Jiang Y, Xu J, Liao W. Evolution of Avian Eye Size Is Associated with Habitat Openness, Food Type and Brain Size. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13101675. [PMID: 37238105 DOI: 10.3390/ani13101675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 05/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The eye is the primary sensory organ that obtains information from the ecological environments and specifically bridges the brain with the extra environment. However, the coevolutionary relationships between eye size and ecological factors, behaviours and brain size in birds remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate whether eye size evolution is associated with ecological factors (e.g., habitat openness, food type and foraging habitat), behaviours (e.g., migration and activity pattern) and brain size among 1274 avian species using phylogenetically controlled comparative analyses. Our results indicate that avian eye size is significantly associated with habitat openness, food type and brain size. Species living in dense habitats and consuming animals exhibit larger eye sizes compared to species living in open habitats and consuming plants, respectively. Large-brained birds tend to possess larger eyes. However, migration, foraging habitat and activity pattern were not found to be significantly associated with eye size in birds, except for nocturnal birds having longer axial lengths than diurnal ones. Collectively, our results suggest that avian eye size is primarily influenced by light availability, food need and cognitive ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yating Liu
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Ying Jiang
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Jiliang Xu
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Wenbo Liao
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong 637009, China
- Key Laboratory of Artificial Propagation and Utilization in Anurans of Nanchong City, China West Normal University, Nanchong 637009, China
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Chen B, Mao T, Liu Y, Dai W, Li X, Rajput AP, Pie MR, Yang J, Gross JB, Meegaskumbura M. Sensory evolution in a cavefish radiation: patterns of neuromast distribution and associated behaviour in Sinocyclocheilus (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae). Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221641. [PMID: 36476002 PMCID: PMC9554722 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The genus Sinocyclocheilus, comprising a large radiation of freshwater cavefishes, are well known for their presence of regressive features (e.g. variable eye reduction). Fewer constructive features are known, such as the expansion of the lateral line system (LLS), which is involved in detecting water movements. The precise relationship between LLS expansion and cave adaptation is not well understood. Here, we examine morphology and LLS-mediated behaviour in Sinocyclocheilus species characterized by broad variation in eye size, habitat and geographical distribution. Using live-staining techniques and automated behavioural analyses, we examined 26 Sinocyclocheilus species and quantified neuromast organ number, density and asymmetry within a phylogenetic context. We then examined how these morphological features may relate to wall-following, an established cave-associated behaviour mediated by the lateral line. We show that most species demonstrated laterality (i.e. asymmetry) in neuromast organs on the head, often biased to the right. We also found that wall-following behaviour was distinctive, particularly among eyeless species. Patterns of variation in LLS appear to correlate with the degree of eye loss, as well as geographical distribution. This work reveals that constructive LLS evolution is convergent across distant cavefish taxa and may mediate asymmetric behavioural features that enable survival in stark subterranean microenvironments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bing Chen
- Guangxi Key Laboratory for Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, People's Republic of China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Institute of Biodiversity Science, Center of Evolutionary Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, People's Republic of China
| | - Tingru Mao
- Guangxi Key Laboratory for Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, People's Republic of China
| | - Yewei Liu
- Guangxi Key Laboratory for Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenzhang Dai
- School of Life Science and Institute of Wetland Ecology, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210000, People's Republic of China
| | - Xianglin Li
- Guangxi Key Laboratory for Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, People's Republic of China
| | - Amrapali P. Rajput
- Guangxi Key Laboratory for Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, People's Republic of China
| | - Marcio R. Pie
- Biology Department, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, Lancashire L39 4QP, UK
| | - Jian Yang
- Key Laboratory of Environment Change and Resource Use, Beibu Gulf, Nanning Normal University, Nanning, Guangxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Joshua B. Gross
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH 45221, USA
| | - Madhava Meegaskumbura
- Guangxi Key Laboratory for Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, People's Republic of China
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Yang Z, Gong Z, Jiang Y, Cai Y, Ma Z, Na X, Dong Z, Zhang D. Maximized Hydrodynamic Stimulation Strategy for Placement of Differential Pressure and Velocity Sensors in Artificial Lateral Line Systems. IEEE Robot Autom Lett 2022. [DOI: 10.1109/lra.2022.3143203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Mao T, Liu Y, Vasconcellos MM, Pie MR, Ellepola G, Fu C, Yang J, Meegaskumbura M. Evolving in the darkness: Phylogenomics of Sinocyclocheilus cavefishes highlights recent diversification and cryptic diversity. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2022; 168:107400. [PMID: 35031467 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Troglomorphism-any morphological adaptation enabling life to the constant darkness of caves, such as loss of pigment, reduced eyesight or blindness, over-developed tactile and olfactory organs-has long intrigued biologists. However, inferring the proximate and ultimate mechanisms driving the evolution of troglomorphism (stygomorphism) in freshwater fish requires a sound understanding of the evolutionary relationships between surface and stygomorphic lineages. We use Restriction Site Associated DNA Sequencing (RADseq) to better understand the evolution of the Sinocyclocheilus fishes of China. With a remarkable array of derived stygomorphic traits, they comprise the largest cavefish diversification in the world, emerging as a multi-species model system to study evolutionary novelty. We sequenced a total of 120 individuals throughout the Sinocyclocheilus distribution. The data comprised a total of 646,497 bp per individual, including 4378 loci and 67,983 SNPs shared across a minimum of 114 individuals at a given locus. Phylogenetic analyses using either the concatenated RAD loci (RAxML) or the SNPs under a coalescent model (SVDquartets, SNAPP) showed a high degree of congruence with similar topologies and high node support (>95 for most nodes in the phylogeny). The major clades recovered conform to a pattern previously established using Sanger-based mt-DNA sequences, with a few notable exceptions. We now recognize six major clades in this group, elevating the blind cavefish S. tianlinensis and the micro-eyed S. microphthalmus as two new distinct clades due to their deep divergence from other clades. PCA plots of the SNP data also support the recognition of six major clusters of species congruent with the identified clades in ordination space. A Bayes factor delimitation (BFD) analysis showed support for 21 species, recognizing 19 previously described species and two putative new cryptic ones. Two species whose identities were previously disputed, S. furcodorsalis and S. tianeensis, are supported here as distinct species. In addition, our multi-species calibrated tree in SNAPP suggests that the genus Sinocyclocheilus originated around 10.16 Mya, with most speciation events occurring in the last 2 Mya, likely favored by the uplift of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and cave occupation induced by climate-driven aridification during this period. These results provide a firm basis for future comparative studies on the evolution of Sinocyclocheilus and its adaptations to cave life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingru Mao
- Guangxi Key Laboratory for Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, PR China
| | - Yewei Liu
- Guangxi Key Laboratory for Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, PR China
| | - Mariana M Vasconcellos
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Marcio R Pie
- Biology Department, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, Lancashire L39 4QP, United Kingdom
| | - Gajaba Ellepola
- Guangxi Key Laboratory for Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, PR China
| | - Chenghai Fu
- Guangxi Key Laboratory for Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, PR China
| | - Jian Yang
- Key Laboratory of Environment Change and Resource Use, Beibu Gulf, Nanning Normal University, Nanning, Guangxi, PR China
| | - Madhava Meegaskumbura
- Guangxi Key Laboratory for Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, PR China.
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