Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Title

Variation in Rod Spectral Sensitivity of Fishes is Best Predicted by Habitat and Depth

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-4-2018

Publication Title

Journal of Fish Biology

Keywords

Absorbance, Light, Photoreceptor, Scotopic, Vision, Visual ecology

ISSN

0022-1112

First Page

1

Last Page

27

Abstract

Microspectrophotometry was used to compile rod spectral sensitivity data (λmax) for 403 species of ray‐finned fishes (Actinopterygii) in order to examine four hypothesized predictors of rod spectral sensitivity (depth, habitat, diet and temperature). From this database, a subset of species that were known to be adults and available on a published phylogeny (n = 210) were included in analysis, indicating rod λmax values averaging 503 nm and ranging from 477–541 nm. Linear models that corrected for phylogenetic relatedness showed that variation in rod sensitivity was best predicted by habitat and depth, with shorter wavelength λmax values occurring in fishes found offshore or in the deep sea. Neither diet, nor the interaction of diet and habitat, had significant explanatory power. Although temperature significantly correlated with rod sensitivity, in that fishes in temperate latitudes had longer wavelength rod λmax values than those in tropical latitudes, sampling inequity and other confounds require the role of the temperature to be studied further. Together, these findings indicate that fish rod λmax is influenced by several ecological factors, suggesting that selection can act on even small differences in fish spectral sensitivity.

Comments

©2018 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved

ORCID ID

0000-0002-5280-7071

DOI

10.1111/jfb.13859

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Peer Reviewed

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