Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles
Spectral Sensitivity, Visual Pigments and Screening Pigments in Two Life History Stages of the Ontogenetic Migrator Gnathophausia ingens
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-2009
Publication Title
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom
Keywords
Deep-sea, Visual ecology, Crustacean
ISSN
0025-3154
Volume
89
Issue/No.
1
First Page
119
Last Page
129
Abstract
Spectral sensitivity, visual pigment absorbance spectra and visual pigment opsin sequences were examined in younger shallow-living and older deep-living instars of the ontogenetically migrating lophogastrid Gnathophausia ingens. Spectral sensitivity measurements from dark adapted eyes and microspectrophotometric measurements of the rhabdom indicate maximal sensitivity for long wavelength (495-502 nm) light in both life history stages, but the younger instars are significantly more sensitive to near-ultraviolet light than the adults. Both life history stages express the same two opsins, indicating that there is no ontogenetic change in visual pigment complement between life history stages. Chromatic adaptation shifted the spectral sensitivity maximum to significantly longer wavelengths in both age-classes, but a distinct secondary short wavelength peak is visible only in the younger instars. These shifts appear to be due to the presence of migrating screening pigments, which are probably vestigial in the deep-living adults. Anomalies in the response waveforms under chromatic adaptation also apparently result from filtering by screening pigments, but via an unknown mechanism.
Additional Comments
National Science Foundation grant #s: IBN-0343871, IBN-0235820
NSUWorks Citation
Tamara M. Frank, Megan Porter, and Thomas W. Cronin. 2009. Spectral Sensitivity, Visual Pigments and Screening Pigments in Two Life History Stages of the Ontogenetic Migrator Gnathophausia ingens .Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , (1) : 119 -129. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_facarticles/450.
DOI
10.1017/S0025315408002440
Comments
©2009 Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom