Document Type
Article
Department/Program
Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Publication Date
2013
Journal
BIOLOGY OPEN
Volume
2
Issue
12
First Page
1371
Last Page
1381
Abstract
The absolute light sensitivities, temporal properties, and spectral sensitivities of the visual systems of three mid-Atlantic temperate reef fishes (Atlantic spadefish [Ephippidae: Chaetodipterus faber], tautog [Labridae: Tautoga onitis], and black sea bass [Serranidae: Centropristis striata]) were studied via electroretinography (ERG). Pelagic Atlantic spadefish exhibited higher temporal resolution but a narrower dynamic range than the two more demersal foragers. The higher luminous sensitivities of tautog and black sea bass were similar to other benthic and demersal coastal mid-Atlantic fishes. Flicker fusion frequency experiments revealed significant interspecific differences at maximum intensities that correlated with lifestyle and habitat. Spectral responses of the three species spanned 400-610 nm, with high likelihood of cone dichromacy providing the basis for color and contrast discrimination. Significant day-night differences in spectral responses were evident in spadefish and black sea bass but not tautog, a labrid with characteristic structure-associated nocturnal torpor. Atlantic spadefish responded to a wider range of wavelengths than did deeper-dwelling tautog or black sea bass. Collectively, these results suggest that temperate reef-associated fishes are well-adapted to their gradient of brighter to dimmer photoclimates, representative of their unique ecologies and life histories. Continuing anthropogenic degradation of water quality in coastal environments, at a pace faster than the evolution of visual systems, may however impede visual foraging and reproductive signaling in temperate reef fishes. (C) 2013. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium provided that the original work is properly attributed.
DOI
10.1242/bio.20136825
Keywords
Electroretinography, Fish, Flicker fusion frequency, Spectral sensitivity, Temperate reef, Visual ecology
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Sponsor
This research was funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association's Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science Center [NA060AR4810163 and NA11SEC4810002].
Recommended Citation
Horodysky, Andrij Z.; Brill, Richard; Crawford, Kendyl C.; Seagroves, Elizabeth S.; and Johnson, Andrea K., Comparative visual ecophysiology of mid-Atlantic temperate reef fishes (2013). BIOLOGY OPEN, 2(12), 1371-1381.
10.1242/bio.20136825
