The visual pigment sensitivity hypothesis: further evidence from fishes of varying habitats

Crescitelli, Frederick; McFall‐Ngai, Margaret J.; Horwitz, Joseph

doi:10.1007/bf00618122

Cited by 115 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Few studies have attempted a direct comparison between the quality of the underwater light and the spectral sensitivity or visual pigment absorption of resident fish (Heinermann and Ali, 1985;Crescitelli et al, 1985;Pankhurst and Montgomery, 1989;Heinermann and Ali, 1989). In the first three of these works and this study a good correspondence was found between the underwater light and the visual sensitivity of the fish.…”

supporting

confidence: 54%

The Underwater Photic Environment of Two Subarctic Icelandic Lakes

Heinermann¹,

Ali²

1993

ARCTIC

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ABSTRACT. The Underwater light fields of two Icelandic lakes of volcanic origin and differing trophic status, Thingvallavam (oligotrophic) and Myvatn (eutrophic), were investigated. Gilvin and turbidity depth profiles were also measured. Diurnal variation in photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) reached almost 3 orders of magnitude. Downward irradiance spectra were variable near the surface, but with increases in depth transmission peaks at 510,560 and 570 nanometres (nm) became apparent in Thingvallavatn, Myvatn-East Basin and Myvatn-South Basin respectively. Upward irradiance transmission maxima shifted from 480 to 500 nm with depth in Thingvallavatn, while in Myvatn they remained near 570 nm. An irradiance trough at 520 nm was noted in both the upward and downward spectra of Thingvallavatn. The importance of phytoplankton (chlorophyll) Alors que les spectres de l'irradiance descendante variaient prbs de la surface, ils augmentaient avec la profondeur aux pics de transmission de 510, 560 et 570 nanombtres (nm) respectivement dans le Thingvallavatn et le bassin est du Myvatn et le bassin sud du Myvam. Les maxima dans la transmission de l'irradiance ascendante ont kt6 dCalks avec la profondeur de 480 B 500 nm dans le Thingvallavatn tandis que dans le Myvatn ils sont demeurks p&s de 570 nm. Une zone d'absorption B 520 nm a kgalement 6te observ6.e dans les spectres descendants et ascendants du Thingvallavatn. L'importance du phytoplancton (chlorophylle) et de la matikre organique dissoute (gilvin) dans la modification de l'environnement photique sous-marin du Myvatn a kt6 nettement dkmontr6.e. Les spectres moyens de l'irradiance descendante et ascendante co'incident trbs ktroitemnt avec les sensibdies spectrales chez les ombles-chevaliers adultes indigbnes. Ceci appuie l'hypothbse de la sensibilit6 chez ces poissons.

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supporting

confidence: 54%

The Underwater Photic Environment of Two Subarctic Icelandic Lakes

Heinermann¹,

Ali²

1993

ARCTIC

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“…It was only in the case of the porphyropsins that the photosensitivity was found to be affected, i.e., reduced. Finally the form of the chrysopsin absorption curve is similar to that of rhodopsin and this was shown by plotting the curves of a rhodopsin (Arctogadus borisivi) and of a chrysopsin (Macropinnu microstoma) together on a wavenumber scale (Crescitelli et al, 1985). There are a number of other properties of chrysopsins that would be of interest to explore: the effects of pressure, the responses to temperature, and the nature of the intermediates of bleaching, but these will require a source of material not yet available.…”

Section: Properties Of the Chrgsopsinsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptations of visual pigments to the photic environment of the deep sea

Crescitelli

1990

J. Exp. Zool.

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This is a summary of studies that bear on the problems of the adaptation of visual pigments to the photic environment of the deep sea. The results suggest that the spectral absorption of these retinal pigments is shifted toward the blue in order to match the dim, blue-green downwelling light andior the bioluminescence of organisms that are critical to the life of the species. Through such a spectral match, greater visual sensitivity is achieved for life in the special photic condition of their habitat. This adaptation has been found for chimaerid fishes, for elasmobranchs, for teleosts, for mammals, and for certain crustaceans and cephalopods. The most convincing evidence €or such an adaptive match has been found in teleosts that have red-emitting photophores. In these fishes a photopigment with absorbance shifted toward the red has been found by extraction and microspectrophotometry. A few exceptions to this idea of an adaptive match have appeared in the literature, the cone pigments, especially, being examples of such offset pigments. The malacosteid fishes have been shown to have a red-shifted retinal pigment with 11-cis-3-dehydroretinal as the chromophore and some invertebrates have also adopted this molecule to adjust the spectral absorption to the photic environment or to the bioluminescence. These studies are beginning to reveal that visual biochemistry is basically the same in vertebrates and invertebrates and that the visual pigment protein arose early in phylogeny and has been retained, with approprite modifications, to the present. This paper is concerned with the problem of convergent evolution relative to the visual pigments that have evolved in association with the special photic environment of the deep sea. This was a problem posed by Bayliss et al. ('36) when they extracted photopigments from the retinas of elasmobranchs and teleosts, and found pigments with absorbance maxima at 505 and 545 nm. They concluded that "the most probable explanation" for this diversity is the depth or quality of the marine habitat. At about the same time Clarke ('36), noting the transmission of blue light by water, predicted that deep water fish might have a visual sensitivity shifted toward the blue. As the result of better data of the photic environment, improvements in the analysis of visual pigments, and more precise information on the habits of fishes, we can now state that a relation has indeed been shown between the spectral absorbance of visual pigments and the quality of the photic environment critical to the life of the species. This conclusion stems from a diversity of studies on both vertebrates and invertebrates but here I shall limit the discussion to organisms living in the mesopelagic and bathypelagic zones where light is dim and reduced to the spectral region between 470 and 480 nm. DISCOVERYThe discovery that visual pigments of deep-sea fishes absorb maximally at significantly lower wavelengths than 500 nm, the absorption maximum of the well-known rhodopsins, was made in two laboratories (Den...

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“…Since the underwater spectrum at twilight matches the spectrum in air regardless of water type, the spectral sensitivity of R. harrisii is, in fact, matched to the spectrum in its environment at the time of vertical migration. Interestingly, all other species of zooplankton have the same major spectral sensitivity maximum around 500 nm Cohen and Forward, 2009), and in fishes the visual pigments that are used for dim light vision (scotopic pigment) are also around 500 nm (e.g., Munz and McFarland, 1973;Hobson et al, 1981;Crescitelli et al, 1985).…”

Section: Retention Of Larvae In Estuaries and Vertical Migrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Larval Biology of the CrabRhithropanopeus harrisii(Gould): A Synthesis

Forward

2009

The Biological Bulletin

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Abstract. This synthesis reviews the physiological ecology and behavior of larvae of the benthic crab Rhithropanopeus harrisii, which occurs in low-salinity areas of estuaries. Larvae are released rhythmically around the time of high tide in tidal estuaries and in the 2-h interval after sunset in nontidal estuaries. As in most subtidal crustaceans, the timing of larval release is controlled by the developing embryos, which release peptide pheromones that stimulate larval release behavior by the female to synchronize the time of egg hatching. Larvae pass through four zoeal stages and a postlarval or megalopal stage that are planktonic before metamorphosis. They are retained near the adult population by means of an endogenous tidal rhythm in vertical migration. Larvae have several safeguards against predation: they undergo nocturnal diel vertical migration (DVM) and have a shadow response to avoid encountering predators, and they bear long spines as a deterrent. Photoresponses during DVM and the shadow response are enhanced by exposure to chemical cues from the mucus of predator fishes and ctenophores. The primary visual pigment has a spectral sensitivity maximum at about 500 nm, which is typical for zooplankton and matches the ambient spectrum at twilight. Larvae can detect vertical gradients in temperature, salinity, and hydrostatic pressure, which are used for depth regulation and avoidance of adverse environmental conditions. Characteristics that are related to the larval habitat and are common to other crab larval species are considered.

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The visual pigment sensitivity hypothesis: further evidence from fishes of varying habitats

Cited by 115 publications

References 32 publications

The Underwater Photic Environment of Two Subarctic Icelandic Lakes

The Underwater Photic Environment of Two Subarctic Icelandic Lakes

Adaptations of visual pigments to the photic environment of the deep sea

Larval Biology of the CrabRhithropanopeus harrisii(Gould): A Synthesis

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