Impact of the “fight or flight” effect on depigmentation

The loss or reduction of pigmentation has evolved repeatedly in cave-adapted animals. Despite its common occurrence, little is known about the underlying evolutionary mechanisms. In the article, the authors provide an experimental link between depigmentation and an increase in catecholminergic systems and related behaviors. Whereas pigmentation may seem like a trait that is simply discarded in the absence of light, their work shows this is probably not the case but instead may be a tradeoff involving strong selection for catecholaminergic activation.

You can find the article at the link.