Critical Illumination and Flicker Frequency in Related Fishes

Abstract

IThe relationships between flicker frequency and mean critical illumination for response to a moved stripe pattern have been determined for the sunfish Enneacanthus (Wolf and Zerrahn-Wolf, 1935-36 b;Crozier, 1935-36; Crozier, Wolf, and Zerrahn-Wolf, 1935-36 b, d). When log I,, is expressed as a function of F the curve is a double Sshaped affair; each part is describable with excellent fidelity by a logistic (or by a probability integral). The curve is not describable by the equation which has been employed to graduate the data of human flicker fusion (Hecht and Verrijp, 1933-34;Hecht, Shlaer, and Smith, 1935); the behavior of the curve as a function of temperature is also inconsistent with the stationary state conception of the basis for the shape of the graph (Crozier, Wolf, and Zerrahn-Wolf, 1935-36 c, d). By means of the logistic equation for independent rod and cone contributions, the two parts of the composite flicker recognition curve have been separated (Crozier, Wolf, and ZerrahnWolf, 1935-36 d). To test the propriety of this procedure, and also to examine further the nature of the variability of the critical illumination, it was planned to obtain the F-I,, curve for several other kinds of fresh water teleosts. Suitably chosen hybrids of these forms might then be tested. The expectation was that the flicker recognition curves would not be the same in position or in shape in the different fishes. It could then be ascertained whether the same method of dissecting the curve into rod and cone contributions gives a rational result of the same sort in the several cases. The possibility obtains that a genetic basis could be indicated for the differences to be discovered. Similar considerations apply to the data of variation of performance in the response to flicker.

Verbindende Mechanismen

“…Das Flimmer-Phänomen untersuchte Hechts Gruppe an Menschen und Mya, und Crozier ermittelte f zusammen mit Wolf und Gertrud Zerrahn-Wolf für vier Fischarten . Siehe Hecht/Wolf (1932), Hecht/Shlaer/Verrijp (1933) und Crozier/Wolf/Zerrahn-Wolf (1937) .193Hecht/Shlaer (1936), S .975 . 194 Hecht (1938c),S .…”