Visual pigment in the lens eyes of the box jellyfish
            <i>Chiropsella bronzie</i>

O'Connor, Megan; Garm, Anders; Marshall, N. Justin; Hart, Nathan S.; Ekström, Peter; Skogh, Charlotta; Nilsson, Dan-Eric

doi:10.1098/rspb.2009.2248

Cited by 10 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…In contrast, other studies515253 supported the interpretation that there was only a single basic morphological type of photoreceptor in cubozoan lensed eyes. Our IHC data support the first interpretation, showing that there are at least two types of PRC (each with markedly different opsin expression profiles) in the lensed eyes of T. cystophora .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Cubozoan genome illuminates functional diversification of opsins and photoreceptor evolution

Liegertová

Pergner

Kozmiková

et al. 2015

Sci Rep

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Animals sense light primarily by an opsin-based photopigment present in a photoreceptor cell. Cnidaria are arguably the most basal phylum containing a well-developed visual system. The evolutionary history of opsins in the animal kingdom has not yet been resolved. Here, we study the evolution of animal opsins by genome-wide analysis of the cubozoan jellyfish Tripedalia cystophora, a cnidarian possessing complex lens-containing eyes and minor photoreceptors. A large number of opsin genes with distinct tissue- and stage-specific expression were identified. Our phylogenetic analysis unequivocally classifies cubozoan opsins as a sister group to c-opsins and documents lineage-specific expansion of the opsin gene repertoire in the cubozoan genome. Functional analyses provided evidence for the use of the Gs-cAMP signaling pathway in a small set of cubozoan opsins, indicating the possibility that the majority of other cubozoan opsins signal via distinct pathways. Additionally, these tests uncovered subtle differences among individual opsins, suggesting possible fine-tuning for specific photoreceptor tasks. Based on phylogenetic, expression and biochemical analysis we propose that rapid lineage- and species-specific duplications of the intron-less opsin genes and their subsequent functional diversification promoted evolution of a large repertoire of both visual and extraocular photoreceptors in cubozoans.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Cubozoan genome illuminates functional diversification of opsins and photoreceptor evolution

Liegertová

Pergner

Kozmiková

et al. 2015

Sci Rep

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“…We speculate that this is owing to some kind of spectral filter present in the eye. It is not unusual that the lens or cornea absorb damaging ultraviolet-light [21]. Our morphological data show that no lens is present, only a thin layer of epithelial cells (figure 2a,e), making us unable to point to a specific structure responsible for the filtering.…”

Section: (C) Temporal and Spectral Responsementioning

confidence: 89%

“…The slow walking speed of starfish (cm min 21 ) and the large size of the reef structures mean that fast vision with high spatial resolution is not needed. It is likely that this type of low-resolution vision is essential for the starfish, and it is also at par with the limited central nervous system [28,[32][33][34], which is likely to have a limited processing capacity.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To verify that the blinded starfish were not just impaired by the surgery, we compared the walking speed during the experiments from intact, sham-operated and blinded animals. The average walking speeds were 5.2, 4.0 and 4.3 cm min 21 , respectively, and none of the differences were significant (one-way ANOVA, F 2,21 ¼ 3.34, p ¼ 0.25). This allowed us to conclude that the blinded animals were just as active but walked in random directions.…”

Section: (D) Navigationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Visual navigation in starfish: first evidence for the use of vision and eyes in starfish

Garm

Nilsson

2014

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Most known starfish species possess a compound eye at the tip of each arm, which, except for the lack of true optics, resembles an arthropod compound eye. Although these compound eyes have been known for about two centuries, no visually guided behaviour has ever been directly associated with their presence. There are indications that they are involved in negative phototaxis but this may also be governed by extraocular photoreceptors. Here, we show that the eyes of the coral-reef-associated starfish Linckia laevigata are slow and colour blind. The eyes are capable of true image formation although with low spatial resolution. Further, our behavioural experiments reveal that only specimens with intact eyes can navigate back to their reef habitat when displaced, demonstrating that this is a visually guided behaviour. This is, to our knowledge, the first report of a function of starfish compound eyes. We also show that the spectral sensitivity optimizes the contrast between the reef and the open ocean. Our results provide an example of an eye supporting only low-resolution vision, which is believed to be an essential stage in eye evolution, preceding the high-resolution vision required for detecting prey, predators and conspecifics.

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“…As found in L. laevigata, the measured spectral sensitivity curve was narrower than the opsin template (Garm and Nilsson 2014). It could be that the damaging ultraviolet rays are filtered out by the eye, thereby narrowing the spectral sensitivity curve at the blue end of the spectrum (O'Connor et al 2010b). The eye is covered by a thin layer of epithelial cells (Fig.…”

Section: Properties Of the Visual Systemmentioning

confidence: 94%

Visual orientation by the crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci)

et al. 2016

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Photoreception in echinoderms has been known for over 200 years, but their visual capabilities remain poorly understood. As has been reported for some asteroids, the crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) possess a seemingly advanced eye at the tip of each of its 7-23 arms. With such an array of eyes, the starfish can integrate a wide field of view of its surroundings. We hypothesise that, at close range, orientation and directional movements of the crown-of-thorns starfish are visually guided. In this study, the eyes and vision of A. planci were examined by means of light microscopy, electron microscopy, underwater goniometry, electroretinograms and behavioural experiments in the animals' natural habitat. We found that only animals with intact vision could orient to a nearby coral reef, whereas blinded animals, with olfaction intact, walked in random directions. The eye had peak sensitivity in the blue part (470 nm) of the visual spectrum and a narrow, horizontal visual field of approximately 100°wide and 30°high. With approximately 250 ommatidia in each adult compound eye and average interommatidial angles of 8°, crown-of-thorns starfish have the highest spatial resolution of any starfish studied to date. In addition, they have the slowest vision of all animals examined thus far, with a flicker fusion frequency of only 0.6-0.7 Hz. This may be adaptive as fast vision is not required for the detection of stationary objects such as reefs. In short, the eyes seem optimised for detecting large, dark, stationary objects contrasted against an ocean blue background. Our results show that the visual sense of the crown-of-thorns starfish is much more elaborate than has been thus far appreciated and is essential for orientation and localisation of suitable habitats.

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Visual pigment in the lens eyes of the box jellyfish Chiropsella bronzie

Cited by 10 publications

References 34 publications

Cubozoan genome illuminates functional diversification of opsins and photoreceptor evolution

Cubozoan genome illuminates functional diversification of opsins and photoreceptor evolution

Visual navigation in starfish: first evidence for the use of vision and eyes in starfish

Visual orientation by the crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci)

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