By Elizabeth Palermo, Staff Writer | September 24, 2014 02:13pm ET
Some creatures will go to great
lengths just to save a little energy. Take the blind Mexican cavefish; this super-efficient animal uses almost 30 percent less energy to survive than its counterparts in surface waters, and it accomplishes this in a rather interesting way, a new study suggests.
lengths just to save a little energy. Take the blind Mexican cavefish; this super-efficient animal uses almost 30 percent less energy to survive than its counterparts in surface waters, and it accomplishes this in a rather interesting way, a new study suggests.
The blind Mexican tetra or cavefish (Astyanax mexicanus) saves energy by forgoing circadian rhythms, according to researchers at Lund University in Sweden. Sometimes referred to as an internal clock, circadian rhythms help many organisms — including animals, plants, fungi and even certain bacteria — coordinate their behavior and physiology with the day-night cycle, according to study researcher Damian Moran, a postdoctoral student in the Lund University department of biology.
This clock provides one of its most important functions by controlling metabolism, or the chemical reactions involved in maintaining healthy cells and breaking down molecules to gain energy. Circadian rhythm helps ensure these reactions occur in advance of when an organism will most need energy, Moran told Live Science.
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