在动物王国的大部分地区,从地表生命到永久与洞穴和其他地下栖息地结合的生命的进化转变已经发生了无数次。在四足动物中并非如此,在那里,只有14种洞穴专性物种-所有的齿状体和蛋白质sal-都是已知的。我们讨论了为什么洞穴四足动物如此特殊,以及为什么只有sal进行了过渡。它们的进化遵循可预测和趋同的,尽管是独立的途径。在与向地下生命过渡相关的许多已知变化中,眼睛退化,耐饥饿,和长寿与人类生物医学研究尤其相关。最近,sal基因组的序列已经成为可用的开放洞穴四足动物的基因组研究。我们讨论了新的基因组方法,这些方法可以激发我们对趋同表型变化背后的进化机制的理解,选择性进化和中性进化的相对作用,神秘的物种多样性,以及与保护相关的数据,如有效人口数量和人口统计。
Throughout most of the kingdom Animalia, evolutionary transitions from surface life to a life permanently bound to caves and other subterranean habitats have occurred innumerous times. Not so in tetrapods, where a mere 14 cave-obligate species-all plethodontid and proteid salamanders-are known. We discuss why cave tetrapods are so exceptional and why only salamanders have made the transition. Their evolution follows predictable and convergent, albeit independent pathways. Among the many known changes associated with transitions to subterranean life, eye degeneration, starvation resistance, and longevity are especially relevant to human biomedical research. Recently, sequences of salamander genomes have become available opening up genomic research for cave tetrapods. We discuss new genomic methods that can spur our understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms behind convergent phenotypic change, the relative roles of selective and neutral evolution, cryptic species diversity, and data relevant for conservation such as effective population size and demography.