Abstract
Cavefishes typically evolve sensory adaptations to compensate for the loss of visual orientation and communication in their naturally dark habitats. We compared the response to chemical cues from conspecifics between surface- and cave-dwelling populations of Atlantic mollies (Poecilia mexicana) using dichotomous association preference tests. In one of the two described cave populations, females spent significantly more time in the preference zone containing chemical cues of conspecifics compared to the preference zone receiving control water, while no discrimination was detected in the other cave population and in two surface populations. Our findings suggest chemo-sensory adaptations in only one of two cave populations and independent evolutionary trajectories in both cave populations.
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