| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6203781 | Vision Research | 2011 | 10 Pages |
The goal of this study was to investigate how the eyes of different species of moray eel evolved to cope with limitations to vision imposed on them by the photic environments in which they reside. The comparative retinal histological structures and visual pigment characteristics including opsin gene sequences, of four species of moray eel inhabiting diverse habitats (i.e., shallow-water species, Rhinomuraena quaesita and Gymnothorax favagineus, and deep-sea species, Gymnothorax reticularis and Strophidon sathete) were examined. The histological sections showed that retinal layer structures of R. quaestia are significantly different from those of the other three species which likely reflects the effects of distribution depth on the structures. The maximal absorbance wavelength (λmax) of photoreceptor cells, as measured by microspectrophotometry (MSP), showed a close correlation between the λmax and the intensity/spectral quality of the light environment where each species lives. The spectra-shift, between shallow and deep-sea species, observed in the rods cells results from amino acid substitution in Rh1 gene, while that in cones most likely results from differential expression of multiple Rh2 genes.
⺠Visual characteristics and opsin genes of four moray eels from different habitats were examined. ⺠The visual spectra of moray eels are correlated with the photic environments of their habitats. ⺠All moray eels in this study are colorblind. ⺠The spectra-shift in rod cells results from amino acid substitution in Rh1 gene. ⺠The spectra-shift in cone cells is induced by differential expression of Rh2 genes.
