This flooding results in an increased inflow of water into the cave and a small temperature change, signaling to the cavefish to begin reproduction. Even with these cues, reproduction does not occur every year for the Alabama cavefish. In years when reproduction does occur, only a few eggs are produced per female.
The sudden surge of water into the cave triggers an increase in temperature and signals the cavefish to start reproducing. Nonetheless, this process does not happen consistently every year in the Alabama cavefish. When it does occur, females typically produce just a few eggs.