High-resolution vision in pelagic polychaetes

Michael J. Bok*, Armando Macali, Anders Garm

*Corresponding author af dette arbejde

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftKommentar/debatForskningpeer review

1 Citationer (Scopus)
14 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

High-resolution object vision — the ability to separate, classify, and interact with specific objects in the environment against the visual background — has only been conclusively shown to have evolved in three of the thirty-five animal phyla: chordates, arthropods, and mollusks (cephalopods)1. However, alciopid polychaetes (Phyllodocidae, Alciopini), which possess a pair of bulbous camera-type eyes, have also been hypothesized to achieve high acuity. In this study, we examined three species of night-active pelagic alciopids from the Mediterranean Sea. Our optical, morphological, and electrophysiological investigations show that their eyes have high spatial acuity and temporal resolution, supporting the notion that they are capable of active, high-resolution object vision. These results encourage interesting hypotheses about the visual ecology of these enigmatic polychaetes.
OriginalsprogEngelsk
TidsskriftCurrent Biology
Vol/bind34
Udgave nummer7
Sider (fra-til)R269-R270
Antal sider2
ISSN0960-9822
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 2024

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© 2024 The Author(s)

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