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Vertebrate photoreceptors

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Adaptive Mechanisms in the Ecology of Vision

Abstract

Practically all vertebrates have functional eyes, and in all these the site of the photochemical reactions that start the process of vision are within specialised neurons in the retina These cells are the photoreceptors or visual cells, which include the two broad classes, rods and cones. The visual pigments, molecules of which undergo reversible structural changes in response to light, at least in rods, are located in the membranes of bilayer discs, stacks of which make up most of the portion of the cell known as the outer segment. The spectral properties of the pigments have been correlated with environmental parameters, notably by Lythgoe (1979), and the connectivities and arrangements within the retina and visual pathways have been studied in depth by more authors than can be referred to here. Retinal photoreceptors, while all possessing common features, vary widely in size and arrangement between different retinas, and show various features that are developed to a greater or lesser extent. Are all these differences concerned with phylogeny, or are some responses to environmental factors? Some adaptations certainly correlate well with environmental conditions, such as the devices for optimising sensitivity in deep-sea fishes. Other adaptations have developed in a single group only, though in response to a problem common to many groups, e.g. cone mosaics in teleosts. This chapter will describe the features of visual cells and their sometimes specialised arrangements within retinas, and attempt to relate the structural features to the habitat of the animals in which they are found. Though some conclusions can be drawn with confidence, it will be apparent that neat answers are often lacking.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomical Sciences, University of Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia

    N. A. Locket

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  1. N. A. Locket
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. International Marine Centre, Oristano, Sardinia, Italy

    S. N. Archer  & S. Vallerga  & 

  2. Department of Biology, Imperial College, London, UK

    M. B. A. Djamgoz

  3. Department of Physiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA

    E. R. Loew

  4. School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK

    J. C. Partridge

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Locket, N.A. (1999). Vertebrate photoreceptors. In: Archer, S.N., Djamgoz, M.B.A., Loew, E.R., Partridge, J.C., Vallerga, S. (eds) Adaptive Mechanisms in the Ecology of Vision. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0619-3_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0619-3_6

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