Visual pigment polymorphism in the guppy poecilia reticulata

Divergent selection for opsin gene variation in guppy (Poecilia reticulata) populations of Trinidad and Tobago

“…These cells were classified into three classes, where l max was centered at B533, 548 and 572 nm, and individuals exhibit either one, two or three of these classes (Archer and Lythgoe, 1990). The MSP absorption curves of the guppy cones were reported to be fitted better by an A 1 chromophore 'rhodopsin' template than by an A 2 chromophore 'porphyropsin' template that suggests that the spectral variation of the cones is not because of possible differences in A 1 and A 2 chromophore usage among cells (Archer et al, 1987;Archer and Lythgoe, 1990). The 533 and 572 nm cells exhibited a narrow l max distribution range, whereas the 548 nm cells had a broad range, implying that the 548 nm cells may represent a group of cells that express both the hypothetical 533 and 572 nm opsin genes simultaneously in the same cell with varying ratios (Archer and Lythgoe, 1990).…”

“…This suggests that variation in female preference could drive variation in male color patterns (Brooks, 2002), although other selective agents possibly have additional roles (Schwartz and Hendry, 2007). Spectral measurements of the cone photoreceptor cells of Trinidadian guppies using microspectrophotometry (MSP) detected a considerable amount of interindividual variations in the spectral sensitivity of cells to the middle to long wavelength ranges (Archer et al, 1987;Archer and Lythgoe, 1990). These cells were classified into three classes, where l max was centered at B533, 548 and 572 nm, and individuals exhibit either one, two or three of these classes (Archer and Lythgoe, 1990).…”

Developmental plasticity in vision and behavior may help guppies overcome increased turbidity

“…Guppies have nine opsin types, named for the range of wavelengths detected: one short wave-sensitive-1 (SWS1: detecting ultraviolet), two short wave-sensitive-2 (SWS2: detecting blue/purple), two midwave-sensitive (RH2: detecting green), and four long wavesensitive (LWS: detecting red/orange) opsins (Hoffmann et al 2007;Ward et al 2008;Watson et al 2011). While all opsins are thought to play a role in color vision (Archer et al 1987;Archer and Lythgoe 1990;Watson et al 2011;Sandkam et al 2015), motion detection has been shown to rely most heavily on long-wavelength sensitivity, mediated by the L-class of cone cells, which contain LWS opsins (Anstis et al 1998;Schaerer and Neumeyer 1996;Krauss and Neumeyer 2003). Thus, a rebalancing of the trade-off between color vision (involving all opsins) and motion detection (involving primarily LWS opsins) can be measured by assessing differences in the proportion of opsins in the retina that are LWS opsins for fish reared in turbid water vs. clear water.…”

Artificial selection for food colour preferences

“…We named this apparatus the 'maculator' (literally, spot generator, from the Latin 'macula', meaning spot). These wavelengths were chosen so that selection acted on very different guppy cones; guppies have peak visual sensitivities at 359, 408, 464, 533, 543 and 572 nm (see electronic supplementary material, figure S2) [22][23][24]. Both the red and blue spots were approximately 2 mm in diameter when measured on the floor of the tank containing sand and water-about 10Â larger than the minimum spatial resolution of guppies when seen from 2 cm [25].…”