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Comparative visual function in elasmobranchs: Spatial arrangement and ecological correlates of photoreceptor and ganglion cell distributions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2008

LENORE LITHERLAND  and
SHAUN P. COLLIN
LENORE LITHERLAND*
Affiliation:
Sensory Neurobiology Group, School of Biomedical Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
SHAUN P. COLLIN
Affiliation:
Sensory Neurobiology Group, School of Biomedical Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
*
*Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Lenore Litherland, Sensory Neurobiology Group, School of Biomedical Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia. E-mail: l.litherland@uq.edu.au
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Abstract

The topographic analysis of retinal ganglion and photoreceptor cell distributions yields valuable information for assessing the visual capabilities and behavioral ecology of vertebrates. This study examines whole-mounted retinas of four elasmobranch species, the ornate wobbegong, Orectolobus ornatus; the whitetip reef shark, Triaenodon obesus; the epaulette shark, Hemiscyllium ocellatum; and the east Australia shovelnose ray, Aptychotrema rostrata, for regional specializations mediating zones of improved visual ability. These species represent a range of lifestyles: benthic, mid-water, diurnal, and nocturnal. Both photoreceptors (visualized using differential interference contrast optics) and ganglion cells (stained with cresyl violet) in the retina are extensively sampled, and their spatial distribution is found to be nonuniform, exhibiting areae or “visual streaks.” In general, the topographic distributions of both cell populations are in register and match well with respect to the location of regions of high density. However, the location of peaks in rod and cone densities can vary within a retina, indicating that preferential sampling of different regions of the visual field may occur in photopic and scotopic vision. Anatomical measures of the optical limits of resolving power, indicated by intercone spacing, range from 3.8 to 13.1 cycles/deg. Spatial limits of resolving power, calculated from ganglion cell spacing, range from 2.6 to 4.3 cycles/deg. Summation ratios, assessed by direct comparison of cell densities of photoreceptors (input cells) and ganglion cells (output cells), at more than 150 different loci across the retina, show topographic differences in signal convergence (ranging from 25:1 to over 70:1). Species-specific retinal specializations strongly correlate to the habitat and feeding behavior of each species.

Keywords

Visual ecologyRetinal topographyPhotoreceptorsGanglion cellsElasmobranchs
Type
Research Articles
Information
Visual Neuroscience , Volume 25 , Issue 4 , July 2008 , pp. 549 - 561
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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