The organism EYE choose was the Celestial Eye Goldfish. It was named this because it's eye are alway pointed up making it look like its staring at the stars. This goldfish is missing a dorsal fin and has eyes that point always upward. This is caused by a genetic mutation that actually causes issues for the fish. So it is not a positive adaptation. These fish have retinal degeneration that as they age leads to blindness. I mean if I were staring up at the sun/sky my whole life, I think I would also go blind! The lack of a dorsal fin causes impaired movement while swimming. While these fish are adorable, the more I learn about them, the sadder it gets!! This is a dominant trait and all goldfish of this species are affected. 

Based off the research I am finding, these fish evolved from a genetic mutation. However, they have become a known breed due to human breeding practices. This is artificial selection. There was a big split in the phylogenetic tree of these goldfish. That split had to do with the presence or absence of a dorsal fin. The celestial lacks that. Again, this is due to artificial selection. I do not have many questions to ask about the evolution of this trait now that I know of its history being rooted in artificial selection. The breeding of these goldfish however could be studied and lend to a deeper understanding of artificial selection and the changes in phenotypes associated. 

In conclusion: These fish are cute, but I feel bad that they are being bred only to have harmful mutations.  


Sources:

https://www.ufaw.org.uk/fish/celestial-eye-goldfish-choten-gan 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037811190800543X

Comments

  1. Victoria DayOctober 28, 2021 at 9:37 AM

    I would also agree that these fish are extremely cute and it is sad that it can cause soo many issues for them. Maybe if they were to look into researching how to fix this and give them better traits. Then they might be able to understand why they are doing this and might be able to help them to be come better.

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  2. Peyton KavanaghOctober 28, 2021 at 4:40 PM

    Kate,

    I totally agree that this is a sad thing for the fish when they are being bred just to experience blindness because they look cute this way. I found it really cool that they were named after the way that they look up all the time, and I also just think "celestial" is a cool word in general. I really enjoyed reading this blog and you did an awesome job of relating lots of course material into it!

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  3. Emmary's Blog: EvolutionOctober 28, 2021 at 10:07 PM

    Kate, thanks for sharing! It is always interesting to see what others find cute in animals lol. I also think it interesting to see what inbreeding can cause. It makes me wonder if any other species has been inbred to have eyes similar to these fish, or if this specific species is the only one of its kind. Just out of curiosity, are these fish breed-able? Or can they not reproduce?

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