The Ontogeny of the Retina of Chinese Sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis)

Abstract

Vision is an important cue in larval survival to capture prey. Therefore, we examined the development of the retina structure in the Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis), the density of single cones, the ganglion cells and the nuclei of the outer nuclear layer of newly hatched larvae, covering different developmental stages ranging from hatching (13.3-13.6 mm TL) to 180 days post-hatching (dph) (290.7-301.6 mm TL). At hatching, larvae exhibited an undifferentiated retina. The retina at 3 dph (16.0-16.9 mm TL) had single cones (SC) at high density. The rods appeared at 9 dph (24.8-25.5 mm TL), and it is assumed that at this time the visual system was developed completely. However, the larvae showed apparent retinomotor responses not before 25 dph (42.7-44.1 mm TL). The density of single cones (SC) and ganglion cells (G) decreased with proceeding development, while the density of the rods (R) gradually increased. The ratio of nuclei of the outer nuclear layer to ganglion cells (ON/G) per 100 µm increased during development, and so did the ratio of nuclei of the outer nuclear layer to single cones (ON/SC). The investigation showed that the structure of the retina changes rapidly from 9 to 17 dph, and many become fully functional at 25 dph when retinomotor responses occur. This is the transitional period of the ontogenetic development of the visual system. These changes in the retina of the Chinese sturgeon are adaptive to their feeding requirements, and co-inciding with the ecological shift from surface (pelagic) to benthic feeding habitats.

Behavioral characteristics of a chondrostean sturgeon species Acipenser baerii prelarvae in response to different environmental light intensities in a diel photoperiodic cycle

“…Ontogenetic acquisition of rheotaxis in sturgeon prelarvae has been reported to be associated with the morphological differentiation of swimming structures and sensory organs (Dettlaff et al, 1993;Boglione et al, 1999;Chai et al, 2006). The active and robust progress of the rheotacism from this interval is in accordance with morphological developments and differentiations of various fins during this period (Park et al, 2013b;Gisbert and Nam, 2018).…”

Behavioural and anatomical measures of visual acuity in first-feeding Yellowtail Kingfish (Seriola lalandi) larvae

“…However estimates of acuity stemming from behavioural studies are consistently lower than those obtained from anatomical studies of photoreceptor density (Miller et al 1993;Higgs and Fuiman 1996;Job and Bellwood 1996;Ota et al 1999). Although many studies have determined anatomical visual acuity for larval fish (Neave 1984;Margulies 1989;Mas-Riera 1991;Pankhurst et al 1993;Shand 1994;Helvik and Karlsen 1996;Pankhurst and Eagar 1996;Chai et al 2006), studies that pair anatomical measures with behavioural estimates are limited to a few species (Miller et al 1993;Pankhurst 1994;Higgs and Fuiman 1996;Job and Bellwood 1996;Ota et al 1999). In addition, behavioural studies have also shown that improvements in acuity are accompanied by lateral expansion of the visual field (Job and Bellwood 1996;Browman and O'Brien 1992a, b;Cobcroft and Pankhurst 2006), and reduced scotopic thresholds (Fuiman and Delbos 1998).…”

Initial Feeding Behaviour, Eye Structure and Effect of Colours on Prey Capture Rates of Betta splendens Larvae

“…Since, larval development is a very quickly and complex process (Gisbert et al, 2002), fish larvae prioritize some structures among your initial development, like head and tail (Osse et al, 1997). During this time, the eye is a very important organ for the success in the capture of prey and reception of visual stimuli (Tesser and Portella, 2006), being considered, in some species, a key structural along this period (Chai et al, 2006).…”