Eye Growth and Differentiation in the Blind Cavefish Astyanax mexicanus: A Study in the Evolution of Development

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorJeffery, William Ren_US
dc.contributor.authorStrickler, Allen Gordonen_US
dc.contributor.departmentBiologyen_US
dc.contributor.publisherDigital Repository at the University of Marylanden_US
dc.contributor.publisherUniversity of Maryland (College Park, Md.)en_US
dc.date.accessioned2006-09-12T05:48:32Z
dc.date.available2006-09-12T05:48:32Z
dc.date.issued2006-08-03en_US
dc.description.abstractModern biological studies often employ a synthesis of multiple fields to accomplish a unified research goal. For instance, evolution of development (evo-devo) answers questions concerning the emergence of unique organismal phenotypes resulting from changes in evolutionary and developmental forces. I am interested in studying these forces on a microevolutionary scale. To accomplish this, I use the teleost fish Astyanax mexicanus. This species, indigenous to Mexico, is comprised of two forms: a surface stream dwelling form (surface fish) and a cave dwelling form (cavefish). Cavefish, which are the evolutionary descendent of surface fish, have evolved a number of constructive and regressive features as a result of being exposed to the subterranean environment, including loss of functional eyes and melanin pigment. Thus, Astyanax is ideal for comparative studies on a microevolutionary scale. I am interested in studying changes in eye development between surface fish and cavefish, and how this may relate to the evolution of the two forms. I initially utilized a comparative approach, using candidate gene, cell proliferation, and cell death studies. I extended these studies to include differential gene expression analyses as a means to better understand differences between surface fish and cavefish development. To further this understanding, I ultimately performed surface fish to cavefish lens transplants and surface fish lens deletions to study the effect of the lens on eye development. Finally, I integrate these data into a theory concerning eye development in Astyanax and put these developmental phenomena in the context of evolution.en_US
dc.format.extent74411939 bytes
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/3809
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledBiology, Generalen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledBiology, Molecularen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledBiology, Geneticsen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledAstyanax mexicanusen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledeye developmenten_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledeye growthen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledmicroarrayen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledblind cavefishen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledevolution of developmenten_US
dc.titleEye Growth and Differentiation in the Blind Cavefish Astyanax mexicanus: A Study in the Evolution of Developmenten_US
dc.typeDissertationen_US

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
umi-umd-3654.pdf
Size:
70.96 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download

Collections

UMD Theses and Dissertations
Biology Theses and Dissertations