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Photoreception and Vision. I. Overview of photoreception and vision II. Photoreception in Lower Invertebrates III. Photoreception in Protostomes A. Mollusc camera eyes B. Arthropod compound eyes IV. Evolution of Eyes. The process involves…. Transformation.
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Photoreception and Vision I. Overview of photoreception and vision II. Photoreception in Lower Invertebrates III. Photoreception in Protostomes A. Mollusc camera eyes B. Arthropod compound eyes IV. Evolution of Eyes
The process involves….. Transformation (biochemical energy) Reception Transduction (photosensitive molecule) (nerve impulse) Light energy Integration Light energy Rhodopsin metarhodopsin + biochemical energy
Types of photoreceptor cells (contain rhodopsin) Ciliary type: photosensitive membrane derived from or associated with cilia Rhabdomeric type: photosensitive membrane derived from microvilli, not cilia
There has been some debate over the phylogenetic significance of receptor cell types But some Annelid larvae have ciliary receptors while adults have rhabdomeric
II. Photoreceptors in “Lower Invertebrates” A. Pigmented epithelia: detect light intensity ex. Corals, most medusae; very small # cells
II. Photoreceptors in “Lower Invertebrates” B. Eye cup or ocellus: pit of pigmented cells
II. Photoreceptors in “Lower Invertebrates” B. Eye cup or ocellus: pit of pigmented cells; discern direction of light light
II. Photoreceptors in “Lower Invertebrates” B. Eye cup or ocellus: pit of pigmented cells flatworms Also cnidaria, nemerteans etc.
Phylum Nemertina: eye cups http://www.discoverlife.org/
II. Photoreceptors in “Lower Invertebrates” C. Lensed Eyes: Cubomedusae • Tiny spherical lenses 100 um wide form sharp images free of spherical aberrations (better peripheral imaging) • However the focal plane lies behind the retina thus the image perceived is blurry.
II. Photoreceptors in “Lower Invertebrates” C. Lensed Eyes: Cubomedusae Why should evolution have produced such sophisticated optics that have only poor resolution? Isn’t higher resolution always better? In each rhopalium Box jellies have two types of lensed eyes one looking upward and the other horizontally as well as two other simple eyes “Reverse neurobiology” : optics are known but functions are not
III. Photoreceptors in Protostomes Many species in the molluscs and arthropods have only simple eyes or no eyes. Medial dorsal eye of copepod
III. Photoreceptors in Protostomes But Mollusca and Arthropoda have independently evolved eyes that rank among the best: compound eyes camera eyes
III. Photoreceptors in Protostomes A. Mollusca: - most with simple eye cups 2 - some snails with lensed, image forming eyes (e.g. queen conch) - bivalves without ocular organs except for the scallop Pecten (more on this) - most cephalopods have image forming camera eyes and acute vision
III. Photoreceptors in Protostomes A. Mollusca: - most with simple eye cups 2 - some snails with lensed, image forming eyes (e.g. queen conch) - bivalves without ocular organs except for the scallop Pecten (more on this) - most cephalopods have image forming camera eyes and acute vision
III. Photoreceptors in Protostomes A. Mollusca: 1. scallops have as many as 60 lensed eyes lining the edge of the mantle; in some species these eyes are elaborate and functionally unusual with mirrored membranes; “ glorified shadow detectors”
III. Photoreceptors in Protostomes A. Mollusca: 2. nautiloids have a large pair of pin hole eyes
III. Photoreceptors in Protostomes A.2. nautiloid eyes work by the same principle as a pinhole camera. Pin hole aperture inverted, sharp, but dim image
III. Photoreceptors in Protostomes A.2. nautiloid eyes work by the same principle as a pinhole camera.
III. Photoreceptors in Protostomes A. Mollusca: Lensed camera eyes of cephalopods form very sharp images cornea ‘pupil’ ‘sensory Retina ’ Optic lobe
III. Photoreceptors in Protostomes Some differences between the cephalopod eye and the human (chordate) eye: Direct v. indirect eye arrangement Rhabdomeric v. ciliary chromophores Photoreceptors from nervous system in chordates but from epidermis in cephalopods cornea Focusing ability of cornea ( I.e. the refractive index of water and air) -- A more dense lens is needed to focus light originating in a fluid medium; complications in focusing
Aquatic lens eye Cornea lens eye
III. Photoreceptors in Protostomes B. Arthropod Compound eyes Amphipod crustacean with simple eye and compound eye
Made up of hundreds to thousands independent optical units: ommatidia facets
Single ommatidium Lens and cone help direct the light Retinula cells produce the photosensitive rhabdomes Pigment cells can keep light from moving into adjacent ommatidia “pupils”
The performance of compound eyes • Erect, compound images • Wide field of vision • The higher the # of ommatidea the sharper the image • But no system to adjust focus; image is grainy • Whole eyes are sensitive to motion • In some species, lateral inhibition improves sensitivity
Each facet must Represent 10,000 ommatidea for this compound eye to reach the visual acuity of the human eye
Among Crustaceans, mantis shrimp have the most elaborate eyes Sharp image Trinocular vision Use polarized light Infrared and UV sensitivity Can be pivoted on eye stalk, increasing the visual field to nearly 360 degrees
IV. How many times did eyes evolve? 1977- Ernst Mayr and colleagues estimate at least 40 times, although 5 phyla have developed image-forming eyes (Chordates, Molluscs, Arthropods, Annelids, Cnidarians) : convergent evolution to vision (image formation)
Eye cups (pits) • Basic compound • Aquatic lens • Corneal lens • Apposition compd • Superposition • Mirrored eyes • Reflecting super-position eyes
IV. How many times did eyes evolve? 1977- Ernst Mayr and colleagues estimate at least 40 times, although 5 phyla have developed image-forming eyes (Chordates, Molluscs, Arthropods, Annelids, Cnidarians) : convergent evolution to vision (image formation) 1993 - Developmental geneticists discover “eye opening” gene called eyeless in fruit flies 1994 - similar gene found in mice and human eyes more recently even in squid eyes (pax-6 etc.) (90% similarity) 1995 - experiments in which eyeless wasactivated in other parts of fly body by human and mouse genes implanted in fly embryos
When eyeless is turned on in parts of the body where it is inactive it could initiate development of topical eyes in unusual places... and in other species! Work of Walter Gehring and colleagues
How many times did eyes evolve? Gehring calls eyeless a “master control gene” for eye development. Argues that its occurrence in many phyla indicates eyes evolved only once perhaps from a proto-eye: eyes are homologous Mayr counters that species of worms without eyes also have eyeless-like genes.Argues that these are genes that evolved long ago in other functions ( i.e. Nervous system ) then got co-opted into eye development several times as eyes evolved. Co-Option
Dickinson: 1. same molecule can assume different functions 2. duplication produces paralogous genes whose members can encompass a wide number of roles 3. domain shuffling generates molecules with clear homologies but potentially different functions
What Dan Nilsson (2004) calls “genetic promiscuity” in eye evolution (Current Opinion in Neurobiology) Kosmik et al. Expression of c-opsin in eye melanin is the shielding pigment of cubomedusa
Compromise view proposed, but at present there is no consensus among researchers: Parallel evolution Photosensitivity is monophyletic at some level; pax, eyeless used in cell, eye development But image forming eyes evolved independently, each time incorporating developmental pax genes in the developmental process