CARLETON, K L *; SPADY, T C; KOCHER, T D; University of New Hampshire; University of New Hampshire; University of New Hampshire: Visual sensitivities of cichlid fishes: Using DNA to see through the eyes of a fish African Cichlid fishes are a textbook example of rapid vertebrate speciation, having evolved hundreds of species in the […]

KAJIURA, S.M.; FORNI, J.B.; SUMMERS, A.P.; University of California, Irvine: Vision and Olfaction in Carcharhinid and Sphyrnid Sharks The unique head morphology of hammerhead sharks (Chondrichthyes, Sphyrnidae) has spawned a variety of adaptive hypotheses. Two hypotheses which have persisted without empirical evidence are the ‘expanded visual field’ and the ‘stereo-olfaction’ hypotheses. It has been suggested […]

COHEN, J.H.*; FORWARD, R.B.; Duke University Marine Laboratory; Duke University Marine Laboratory: Photoresponses of the copepod Calanopia americana involved in diel vertical migration Light is regarded as the primary proximate factor regulating diel vertical migration (DVM) in zooplankton, although much debate has focused on the exact role that light plays in this behavior. The pontellid […]

THEOBALD, J. C.; University of Washington, Seattle, Washington: Night vision strategies of sphingid moths match feeding behavior A nocturnal eye must make the most of scarce photons. Reliable vision in dim light is difficult because light is absorbed discretely and randomly. This ‘photon noise’ is an inescapable problem for nocturnal animals; they must use both […]

BRISCOE, A.D.; University of California, Irvine: Evolution of Color Vision: Butterflies as a Model The visual pigments (rhodopsins) of invertebrate photoreceptor cells are composed of a light-sensitive retinaldehyde chromophore attached to a membrane-bound opsin protein. Surveys of spectral sensitivity measurements, visual pigment spectra and opsin gene sequences indicate that all butterfly eyes, like those of […]

LAWRENCE, Karen A; STRANGE, Rex Meade; Southeast Missouri State University; Southeast Missouri State University: Evolution of Color Communication in Percid Fishes: A Role for Sensory Bias? Color plays an important role in communicating male aggression and in courtship behavior in darters. However, it is unknown whether color vision played a role in the evolution of […]

SPRAYBERRY, J.D.H.; University of Washington: Descending visual control in Manduca Sexta Animal flight is controlled by a feedback system in which sensory information is processed to modify patterns of motor output. Motor ouput, in turn, moves the animal, changes the flow of sensory information, and closes the feedback loop. How sensory information is filtered and […]

MERRY, J.W.*; RUTOWSKI, R.L.; Arizona State University; Arizona State University: Butterfly Eye Structure: Measurement Error vs. Differences Among Individuals, Sexes, and Species Interspecific variation in eye structure in insects has traditionally been explained as an adaptive product of differences in habitat and behavior between species. However, prerequisites for adaptive evolution (interindividual variation, trait heritability, and […]

SWEENEY, A*; JIGGINS, C; JOHNSEN, S; Duke University; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Duke University: Bio-optics and Visual Ecology of Heliconius Color Patterns An astonishing diversity of wing color patterns exists in the genus Heliconius. These buttterflies are also a classic example of Mullerian mimicry. Although some genetic models invoke drift, fixation and reinforcement, questions about […]

HALL, MI; Stony Brook University, New York: Anatomical Correlates of Activity Pattern in Birds Activity pattern often involves extremes of light availability to which visually dependent animals must adapt. There is evidence that dependence on photopic (plentiful light) and scotopic (low light) conditions markedly impact the gross anatomy of the eye and orbit. However, it […]