Studies on the Relation between the Pigment Migration and the Sensitivity Changes during Dark Adaptation in Diurnal and Nocturnal Lepidoptera

The functional significance of the pigment migration in the compound insect eye during dark adaptation has been studied in diurnal and nocturnal Lepidoptera. Measurements of the photomechanical changes were made on sections of eyes which had been dark-adapted for varying periods of time. In some experiments the sensitivity changes during dark adaptation were first determined before the eye was placed in the fixation solution. No change in the position of the retinal pigment occurred in Cerapteryx graminis until the eye had been dark-adapted for about 5 minutes. The start of the migration was accompanied by the appearance of a break in the dark adaptation curve. During longer periods of dark adaptation the outward movement of the pigment proceeded in parallel with the change in sensitivity, the migration as well as the adaptive process being completed within about 30 minutes. In the diurnal insects chosen for the present study (Erebia, Argynnis) the positional changes of the retinal pigment were insignificant in comparison with the movement of the distal pigment in Cerapteryx graminis. On the basis of these observations the tentative hypothesis is put forward that the second phase of adaptive change in nocturnal Lepidoptera is mediated by the migration of the retinal pigment while the first phase is assumed to be produced by the resynthesis of some photochemical substance. In diurnal insects which have no appreciable pigment migration the biochemical events alone appear to be responsible for the increase in sensitivity during dark adaptation.     

Compound Eye Adaptations for Diurnal and Nocturnal Lifestyle in the Intertidal Ant,Polyrhachis sokolova

The Australian intertidal ant, Polyrhachis sokolova lives in mudflat habitats and nests at the base of mangroves. They are solitary foraging ants that rely on visual cues. The ants are active during low tides at both day and night and thus experience a wide range of light intensities. We here ask the extent to which the compound eyes of P. sokolova reflect the fact that they operate during both day and night. The ants have typical apposition compound eyes with 596 ommatidia per eye and an interommatidial angle of 6.0°. We find the ants have developed large lenses (33 µm in diameter) and wide rhabdoms (5 µm in diameter) to make their eyes highly sensitive to low light conditions. To be active at bright light conditions, the ants have developed an extreme pupillary mechanism during which the primary pigment cells constrict the crystalline cone to form a narrow tract of 0.5 µm wide and 16 µm long. This pupillary mechanism protects the photoreceptors from bright light, making the eyes less sensitive during the day. The dorsal rim area of their compound eye has specialised photoreceptors that could aid in detecting the orientation of the pattern of polarised skylight, which would assist the animals to determine compass directions required while navigating between nest and food sources.     

Nocturnal anti-predator adaptations in eared and earless Nearctic Lepidoptera

Nocturnal flight exposes insects to selection pressures thatinclude reduced light and the hunting behavior of insectivorousbats. Using a phylogenetically based selection of wild mothscollected from a Nearctic site, we report that earless speciesfly less throughout the night than eared species. This supportsthe hypothesis that this behavior has evolved as a passive defenseagainst the transient attacks of aerially foraging bats in insectsthat do not possess long-range auditory detection abilities.We measured the eyesize of a selection of moths whose 24-h flightactivities are known and confirm that nocturnal lifestyle resultsin larger eyes. With the exception of hawkmoths, there is noeyesize difference between eared and earless moths, suggestingthat earless moths do not preferentially use vision to detectthe approach of bats.     

Dark Adaptation and Visual Pigment Regeneration in Human Cones

Foveal threshold elevation and red-green cone pigment regeneration have been studied in the dark after a wide range of bleaches in normal man with a view to probing the limits of the application of the Dowling-Rushton relation: i.e., the direct proportionality between log threshold elevation and fraction of unregenerated pigment. Cone pigment regeneration (and threshold recovery) is much faster after short bleaches than expected from the kinetics of a simple monomolecular reaction. Recovery is faster after a fixed (short) duration bleach the weaker it is. Except for the first 30 s after relatively weak bleaches and the entire recovery after a very brief (<0.001 s) saturating bright flash which bleaches a little more than 50%, the results are accurately fit by the Dowling-Rushton relation over the entire range tested with only one arbitrary constant (the proportionality factor). Theory predicts too low threshold in comparison with what is obtained, for both of these exceptions     

Compound Eyes of Some Deep-Sea and Fiord Mysid Crustaceans

The compound eyes of the deep-sea mysid Boreomysis scyphops and the two mysid species Amblyops abbreviata and Pseudomma affine, which are indigenous to deep fiords in Norway, have been investigated. The eye stalks are greatly transformed, but contain hypertrophied retinas. The ommatidia of all three species lack a dioptric apparatus, possessing only retinular cells, which are arranged in a cylinder-like fashion. Folds from the retinular cells project into the “cylinder” and are covered with microvilli. The arrangement is explained functionally by an increase in the photopigment-bearing surface as an adaptation to low-light intensities. The orderly arrangement of microvilli in most arthropod compound eyes has been lost, and the arrangement is thus multidirectional in these mysids. With the photopigment dipoles arranged along the microvillar axis, the disorderly arrangement of microvilli signifies a more efficient capture of non-polarized light. It is concluded that the mysid compound eyes show adaptations to low-light intensities probably acquired during the species' evolutionary descent into deep-sea habitats. Amblyops abbreviata and Pseudomma affine, belonging to genera with entirely transformed eyes and with an ultrastructure less “normal” than that of Boreomysis scyphops are believed to be earlier descendants into the deep-sea habitats than the latter species, which belongs to a genus in which most of the species have well-developed eyes.     

Nocturnal lepidopterans (Lepidoptera,Macroheterocera) of the Courish Spit in the Baltic Sea

Eighty-two species of Macroheterocera belonging to 15 families were collected from 1982 to 2004 on the Courish Spit of the Baltic Sea; records of 21 more species are borrowed from the published sources.     

The Influence of Dark Adaptation Temperature on the Reappearance of Variable Fluorescence following Illumination

The effect of chilling temperatures (5°C) on chlorophyll fluorescence transients was used to study chilling-induced inhibition of photosynthesis in plant species with differing chilling sensitivities. A Brancker SF-20 fluorometer was used to measure induced fluorescence transients from both attached and detached leaves of chilling-sensitive cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. cv Ashley) and chilling-resistant pea (Pisum sativum L. cv Alaska). The rate of reappearance of the variable component of fluorescence (F_v), following a period of illumination at 25°C, was dependent on the temperature at which the leaf was allowed to dark adapt in chilling-sensitive cucumber, but not in chilling-resistant pea. In cucumber, dark adaptation at 25°C following illumination resulted in a much faster return of F_v than dark adaptation at 5°C following illumination. However, F_v reappearance during the dark adaptation period in chilling-resistant pea was temperature independent. The difference in the temperature response of F_v following illumination correlated with temperature sensitivity of these two species. The process responsible for the difference in F_v may represent a site of chilling sensitivity in the photosynthetic apparatus.     

Acute Behavioral Responses to Light and Darkness in Nocturnal Mus musculus and Diurnal Arvicanthis niloticus

The term masking refers to immediate responses to stimuli that override the influence of the circadian timekeeping system on behavior and physiology. Masking by light and darkness plays an important role in shaping an organism's daily pattern of activity. Nocturnal animals generally become more active in response to darkness (positive masking) and less active in response to light (negative masking), and diurnal animals generally have opposite patterns of response. These responses can vary as a function of light intensity as well as time of day. Few studies have directly compared masking in diurnal and nocturnal species, and none have compared rhythms in masking behavior of diurnal and nocturnal species. Here, we assessed masking in nocturnal mice (Mus musculus) and diurnal grass rats (Arvicanthis niloticus). In the first experiment, animals were housed in a 12:12 light-dark (LD) cycle, with dark or light pulses presented at 6 Zeitgeber times (ZTs; with ZT0 = lights on). Light pulses during the dark phase produced negative masking in nocturnal mice but only at ZT14, whereas light pulses resulted in positive masking in diurnal grass rats across the dark phase. In both species, dark pulses had no effect on behavior. In the 2nd experiment, animals were kept in constant darkness or constant light and were presented with light or dark pulses, respectively, at 6 circadian times (CTs). CT0 corresponded to ZT0 of the preceding LD cycle. Rhythms in masking responses to light differed between species; responses were evident at all CTs in grass rats but only at CT14 in mice. Responses to darkness were observed only in mice, in which there was a significant increase in activity at CT 22. In the 3rd experiment, animals were kept on a 3.5:3.5-h LD cycle. Surprisingly, masking was evident only in grass rats. In mice, levels of activity during the light and dark phases of the 7-h cycle did not differ, even though the same animals had responded to discrete photic stimuli in the first 2 experiments. The results of the 3 experiments are discussed in terms of their methodological implications and for the insight they offer into the mechanisms and evolution of diurnality.     

Nocturnal to Diurnal Switches with Spontaneous Suppression of Wheel-Running Behavior in a Subterranean Rodent

Several rodent species that are diurnal in the field become nocturnal in the lab. It has been suggested that the use of running-wheels in the lab might contribute to this timing switch. This proposition is based on studies that indicate feed-back of vigorous wheel-running on the period and phase of circadian clocks that time daily activity rhythms. Tuco-tucos (Ctenomys aff. knighti) are subterranean rodents that are diurnal in the field but are robustly nocturnal in laboratory, with or without access to running wheels. We assessed their energy metabolism by continuously and simultaneously monitoring rates of oxygen consumption, body temperature, general motor and wheel running activity for several days in the presence and absence of wheels. Surprisingly, some individuals spontaneously suppressed running-wheel activity and switched to diurnality in the respirometry chamber, whereas the remaining animals continued to be nocturnal even after wheel removal. This is the first report of timing switches that occur with spontaneous wheel-running suppression and which are not replicated by removal of the wheel.     

Hawk Eyes I: Diurnal Raptors Differ in Visual Fields and Degree of Eye Movement

Background

Different strategies to search and detect prey may place specific demands on sensory modalities. We studied visual field configuration, degree of eye movement, and orbit orientation in three diurnal raptors belonging to the Accipitridae and Falconidae families.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We used an ophthalmoscopic reflex technique and an integrated 3D digitizer system. We found inter-specific variation in visual field configuration and degree of eye movement, but not in orbit orientation. Red-tailed Hawks have relatively small binocular areas (∼33°) and wide blind areas (∼82°), but intermediate degree of eye movement (∼5°), which underscores the importance of lateral vision rather than binocular vision to scan for distant prey in open areas. Cooper''s Hawks'' have relatively wide binocular fields (∼36°), small blind areas (∼60°), and high degree of eye movement (∼8°), which may increase visual coverage and enhance prey detection in closed habitats. Additionally, we found that Cooper''s Hawks can visually inspect the items held in the tip of the bill, which may facilitate food handling. American Kestrels have intermediate-sized binocular and lateral areas that may be used in prey detection at different distances through stereopsis and motion parallax; whereas the low degree eye movement (∼1°) may help stabilize the image when hovering above prey before an attack.

Conclusions

We conclude that: (a) there are between-species differences in visual field configuration in these diurnal raptors; (b) these differences are consistent with prey searching strategies and degree of visual obstruction in the environment (e.g., open and closed habitats); (c) variations in the degree of eye movement between species appear associated with foraging strategies; and (d) the size of the binocular and blind areas in hawks can vary substantially due to eye movements. Inter-specific variation in visual fields and eye movements can influence behavioral strategies to visually search for and track prey while perching.     

Studies on Compensatory Adaptation of Renal Functions

Changes in the excretion of water and electrolyte in one kidney after exclusion of its partner have been studied in anesthetized dogs and rabbits. Complete clamping of the contralateral kidney pedicle or ureter results in a rapid increase in the excretion of water, sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, phosphate and bicarbonate. This response is also observed in denervated kidneys. Pretreatment with the loop inhibitor, furosemide, does not preclude adaptation which, however, is blunted by acetazolamide, an inhibitor of proximal sodium and bicarbonate reabsorption. Free-water reabsorption during hypertonic saline diuresis is normal in the remaining kidney. Compensatory adaptation, thus, appears to be located in the proximal tubule. The regulatory response to contralateral kidney exclusion is already fully developed in one-month-old rabbits. Compensatory adaptation of electrolyte excretion is not accounted for by changes in extracellular fluid volume, plasma composition, glomerular filtration rate, effective renal plasma flow, aldosterone or vasopressin.     

Light Masking in the Field: An Experiment with Nocturnal and Diurnal Spiny Mice Under Semi-natural Field Conditions

Light masking has been studied almost exclusively in the laboratory. The authors populated four field enclosures with locally coexisting nocturnal Acomys cahirinus and diurnal A. russatus, and monitored their body temperatures (T_b) using implanted temperature-sensitive radio transmitters. A 3-h light pulse was initiated at the beginning of two consecutive nights; preceding nights were controls. A. cahirinus T_b and calculated activity levels decreased significantly during the light pulse, demonstrating a negative light masking response (light effect on T_b: ?0.32°C?±?0.15°C; average calculated activity records during the light pulse: 7?±?1.53, control: 9.8?±?1.62). Diurnal A. russatus did not respond to the light pulse. We conclude that light masking is not an artifact of laboratory conditions but represents a natural adaptive response in free-living populations. (Author correspondence: Shayroti@post.tau.ac.il)     

Endogenous Diurnal and Nocturnal Activity of Guard Cells as Indicated by Stomatal Aperture and Protoplasmic Streaming

The hourly stomatal apertures on epidermal strips of Antirrhinum majus, Rheum rhaponticum, Vicia faba, and Zebrina pendula fixed by Lloyd's technique were compared with the number of stomata found to contain streaming at the same time. With all four species there was an indication of an endogenously controlled rhythm in stomatal opening with both increases and decreases in aperture and streaming during daytime hours in either the light or dark. A similar endogenously activated rhythm was also found at night in Rheum and Vicia. Some relationships exist between changes in stomatal aperture and streaming. Streaming in guard cells may only be a byproduct of metabolism, but as such, it serves the useful purpose as a mixer of chemical activity.     

Comparative processing of allelochemicals in the Papilionidae (Lepidoptera)

Within the family Papilionidae (Lepidoptera), species display a broad range of feeding patterns, from oligophagy on a single hostplant family to polyphagy on over a dozen families. Accompanying this diversity of feeding strategies is a diversity of physiological mechanisms for processing hostplant allelochemicals. Studies on members of this family as well as other Lepidoptera suggest that oligophagy is associated with high activity, in addition to high substrate specificity, of detoxicative enzymes.     

Exceptional Variation on a Common Theme: The Evolution of Crustacean Compound Eyes

The Crustacea contain an amazing, and often (to humans) bizarre, array of visual designs. This diversity includes many different examples of both simple and compound eyes, each with standard or uniquely crustacean features. In this review, we focus on the anatomical variation, optical principles, and molecular diversity of crustacean compound eyes to illustrate how the complicated structures involved in vision are adapted for particular environments. Using this knowledge as a starting point, and considering what is known of crustacean evolution overall, we present the most recent ideas of how crustacean compound eyes have evolved and show how eyes that are based on fundamentally different optical principles can in fact be derived from each other and thus be closely related through common descent.