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Comparative study of behavioral-sensitivity thresholds to near-UV and blue-green light in deep-sea crustaceans

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Abstract

The behavioral sensitivities of five species of deep-sea crustaceans (order Decapoda: Acanthephyra curtirostris, A. smithi, Notostomus gibbosus, Janicella spinacauda and Oplophorus gracilirostris) to near-UV and blue-green light were studied during a research cruise off the coast of Hawaii in 1993. Two of the five species have electrophysiologically-measured spectral sensitivity peaks at 400 and 500 nm, while the remaining three species have a single sensitivity peak at 490 to 500 nm. In the current study, behavioral mean threshold sensitivities (defined as the lowest irradiance change to which the shrimp would give a behavioral response) were determined for tethered specimens of each species at two wavelengths, 400 and 500 nm. The mean behavioral threshold sensitivities of the two species with putative dual visual-pigment systems were approximately the same to near-UV and blue-green light, while the other three species were significantly less sensitive to near-UV vs blue-green light. Results from these experiments indicate that (1) behavioral information obtained from tethered shrimp accurately reflects their spectral sensitivity, and (2) the sensitivity of the putative dichromats to near-UV light is sufficiently low to detect calculated levels of near-UV light remaining in the down-welling field at their daytime depth of 600 m. Possible functions of this high sensitivity to short wavelength light are discussed.

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Communicated by N. H. Marcus, Tallahassee

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Frank, T.M., Widder, E.A. Comparative study of behavioral-sensitivity thresholds to near-UV and blue-green light in deep-sea crustaceans. Marine Biology 121, 229–235 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00346730

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00346730

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