Published April 15, 2024 | Version v1
Dataset Open

Data from: Crustacean photoreceptor damage and recovery: Applying a novel scanning electronic microscopy protocol in artificial light at night studies

  • 1. Andrés Bello University
  • 2. University of Prince Edward Island
  • 3. Catholic University of the North
  • 4. Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Aridas*
  • 5. Plymouth University
  • 6. Plymouth Marine Laboratory

Description

As sources of artificial light at night (ALAN) expand worldwide, research on their impacts has also increased. Most of these studies, including those in coastal habitats, have focused on behavioral and ecological responses to ALAN, overlooking impacts on the photoreceptor, the basic functional structure of animals to absorb light. Examining structural changes in the photoreceptor is essential to understand the mechanisms by which ALAN may be impacting species, particularly those adapted to different light backgrounds. This study examined the photoreceptor (rhabdom) of two sandy beach crustaceans exhibiting different light tolerances at night: the amphipod Orchestoidea tuberculata and the isopod Tylos spinulosus. We developed a novel protocol to measure these species' photoreceptor areas and quantify the damage caused by ALAN using histological sections and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Our results showed that in the isopod, a species naturally adapted to lower light intensities at night than the amphipod, the rhabdom surface was 20-times larger, and presented a tapetum, an adaptive feature found in species living in low light conditions. This confirmed that this species is potentially more sensitive to ALAN than the amphipod. Consistently, a brief period of exposure to ALAN (1 h, 20 lux) caused 3-6 times more damage in the isopod' rhabdom. In fact, ALAN caused structural damage in the isopod' but not in the amphipod' rhabdom, a damage that did not show signs of recovery from ALAN after 1 and 24 h. Thus, the damage caused by ALAN on an organism's photoreceptors is likely to be more severe and persistent in species naturally adapted to lower light levels at night. Installation of permanent ALAN sources nearby the burrowing area of these light sensitive species may have differential effects on their activity and interactions at night. ALAN may also become a new selection pressure on these species, a concern with wide implications given the ubiquity among animals of the photoreceptor structure and its response to light.

Notes

Funding provided by: National Research and Development Agency, Chile*
Crossref Funder Registry ID:
Award Number: Fondecyt 1200794

Methods

To assess photoreceptor membrane loss and recovery, data were obtained from SEM photographs obtained from organisms exposed to ALAN (1 h) and recovery times (1 h and 24 hr). The photographs came from one randomly chosen eye, removed from one of the specimens associated with each experimental replicate.
 
These eyes were processed for scanning electron microscopy, in which the total area of the photoreceptor surface (Rhabdom) was estimated. Then, using several cross-sections of each rhabdom, the loss of surface photoreceptor membrane was quantified using Image Pro 6. Lastly, these estimations of the photoreceptor membrane loss were used to estimate averages per species and to conduct statistical comparisons.

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