Growth of the teleost eye: novel solutions to complex constraints

Fernald, Russell D.

doi:10.1007/bf00002579

Cited by 70 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…The absolute density (cells per unit area) of all cell types in the neural retina of snapper, with the exception of rods, showed a consistent decreasing trend with increasing eye size. This observation supports earlier reports that eye enlargement involves both stretching of the neural retina and continued cellular addition (Johns 1981;Fernald 1985).…”

Section: »• V* • • * "!_supporting

confidence: 93%

Changes in visual morphology through life history stages of the New Zealand snapper,Pagrus auratus

Pankhurst

Eagar

1996

New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research

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Plastic resin histology and transmission electron microscopy were used to examine the development of the retina in snapper Pagrus auratus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) larvae before, and at the onset of feeding. Light microscopy was used to examine changes in ocular morphology with increasing body size, in larval, juvenile, and adult P. auratus. There was a 96-fold increase in eye size, from 0.23 mm diameter in a 4-day-old larva (3.42 mm standard length), to a maximum of 22 mm diameter in an adult of 333 mm fork length. Cells of the presumptive optic cup were undifferentiated in fish larvae at the time of hatching. Development of the eye proceeded rapidly so that at 3 days of age, a pigmented cone retina had formed and the optic nerve connected to the optic tectum. On the fourth day after hatching, the lens had become crystalline, and synaptic ribbons and vesicles were present in the cone cell synaptic junctions, indicating that the retina was now functional. This coincided with the onset of feeding behaviour in the fish larvae. Putative rod precursor cells were present in fish at 18 days of age. Juvenile and adult fish had duplex retinae with cones arranged in a regular mosaic in which four equal Received 13 February 1995; accepted 8 December 1995 double cones surrounded a central single cone. Cone ellipsoid diameter increased during eye enlargement to maintain a closely packed array in fish of all sizes. Angular density of cones continued to increase with increasing eye size such that theoretical spatial acuity increased from 2°1( Minimum Separable Angle, MSA) in a 4-day-old fish, to asymptotic values of between 3´ and 4( MSA) in adult fish. M95008

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Section: »• V* • • * "!_supporting

confidence: 93%

Changes in visual morphology through life history stages of the New Zealand snapper,Pagrus auratus

Pankhurst

Eagar

1996

New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research

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“…On the other hand, comparing the relationship between body length and eye and lens diameter in G. melastomus and C. coelolepis indicates that, for an equivalent fish length of 58 cm, C. coelolepis has the eye (15%) and lens diameter (19%) larger than G. melastomus. Large eyes and increased lens diameter magnify the image on the retina and, at the same time, improve visual acuity (Fernald, 1985). This would allow the studied species to widen the range of available prey and to be more selective.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Retinal specialisations in the dogfish <i>Centroscymnus coelolepis</i> from the Mediterranean deep-sea

Bozzano¹

2004

Sci. Mar.

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SUMMARY: The present work attempted to study the importance of vision in Centroscymnus coelolepis, the most abundant shark in the Mediterranean beyond a depth of 1000 m, by using anatomical and histological data. C. coelolepis exhibited large lateral eyes with a large pupil, spherical lens and a tapetum lucidum that gave the eye a strong greenish-golden "eye shine". In the outer retinal layer, a uniform population of rod-like photoreceptors was observed while in the vitreal retina a thick inner plexiform layer comprised up to 30% of the whole retinal thickness. The cell distribution of the ganglion cell layer formed a thin elongated visual streak in the central plane of the eye that provided a horizontal panoramic field of view. A specialised area of higher visual acuity was located caudally at 32-44º from the geometric centre of the retina and 5-10º above the horizontal plane of the eye. This position indicated that the visual axis pointed in a slightly outward-forward direction with respect to the fish body axis. A non-uniform distribution of large ganglion cells was also found in the horizontal plane of the retina that practically coincided with the distribution of the total cell population in the ganglion cell layer. This is the first time that this type of retinal specialisation has been observed in the elasmobranchs. These characteristics indicate that the retina of C. coelolepis is designed not only to increase sensitivity in the horizontal field of view, as was also observed in other sharks, but also to improve motion detection in the same plane. The visual capacities evolved by C. coelolepis make this species adapted for discriminating the horizontal gradation of light that exists in the mesopelagic environment. Similarly, the large ganglion cell distribution observed in its retina seems to be related to its predatory behaviour, since it allows this shark to perceive the movement of bioluminescent prey against a totally dark background.Key words: deep-sea shark, retinal morphology, retinal topography, large ganglion cells, visual axes, diet. RESUMEN: ESPECIALIZACIONES EN LA RETINA DEL TIBURÓN CENTROSCYMNUS COELOLEPIS DEL MEDITERRÁNEO PROFUNDO. -El presente trabajo estudia la importancia de la visión en Centroscymnus coelolepis, el tiburón más abundante en el Mediterráneo por debajo de los 1000 m de profundidad, usando datos anatómicos e histológicos. C. coelolepis posee grandes ojos laterales, una pupila muy ancha, un cristalino esférico y un tapetum lucidum que confiere al ojo un fuerte brillo verde-dorado. En la capa externa de la retina, se observa una población uniforme de fotorreceptores parecidos a los bastones, mientras en la capa interna el estrato plexiforme interno es grueso, ocupando hasta el 30% del entero grosor de la retina. La distribución de las células en la capa ganglionar forma una sutil franja horizontal alargada en correspondencia del plano central del ojo que permite al animal una visión panorámica horizontal. Caudalmente se localizó una área especializada de mejor agudeza visual a...

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“…As the eye grows in larger teleost individuals, some cells are added in the retinal margin. However, overall, the existing retina is stretched, resulting in a decrease in absolute cell densities, and constant visual capabilities (Fernald, 1985). The average number of cones was 780,906 (Table 2).…”

Section: Topographic Distribution Of Cone Photoreceptorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Retinal specialization through spatially varying cell densities and opsin coexpression in cichlid fish

Dalton

Busserolles

Marshall

et al. 2016

Journal of Experimental Biology

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The distinct behaviours of animals and the varied habitats in which animals live place different requirements on their visual systems. A trade-off exists between resolution and sensitivity, with these properties varying across the retina. Spectral sensitivity, which affects both achromatic and chromatic (colour) vision, also varies across the retina, though the function of this inhomogeneity is less clear. We previously demonstrated spatially varying spectral sensitivity of double cones in the cichlid fish Metriaclima zebra owing to coexpression of different opsins. Here, we map the distributions of ganglion cells and cone cells and quantify opsin coexpression in single cones to show these also vary across the retina. We identify an area centralis with peak acuity and infrequent coexpression, which may be suited for tasks such as foraging and detecting male signals. The peripheral retina has reduced ganglion cell densities and increased opsin coexpression. Modeling of cichlid visual tasks indicates that coexpression might hinder colour discrimination of foraging targets and some fish colours. But, coexpression might improve contrast detection of dark objects against bright backgrounds, which might be useful for detecting predators or zooplankton. This suggests a trade-off between acuity and colour discrimination in the central retina versus lower resolution but more sensitive contrast detection in the peripheral retina. Significant variation in the pattern of coexpression among individuals, however, raises interesting questions about the selective forces at work.

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Growth of the teleost eye: novel solutions to complex constraints

Cited by 70 publications

References 25 publications

Changes in visual morphology through life history stages of the New Zealand snapper,Pagrus auratus

Changes in visual morphology through life history stages of the New Zealand snapper,Pagrus auratus

Retinal specialisations in the dogfish <i>Centroscymnus coelolepis</i> from the Mediterranean deep-sea

Retinal specialization through spatially varying cell densities and opsin coexpression in cichlid fish

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