Published December 4, 2020 | Version v1
Dataset Open

Data from: Pushing the limits of photoreception in twilight conditions: The rod-like cone retina of the deep-sea pearlsides

  • 1. University of Queensland
  • 2. University of Bergen
  • 3. University of Western Australia
  • 4. King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

Description

Most vertebrates have a duplex retina comprising two photoreceptor types, rods for dim-light (scotopic) vision and cones for bright-light (photopic) and color vision. However, deep-sea fishes are only active in dim-light conditions; hence, most species have lost their cones in favor of a simplex retina composed exclusively of rods. Although the pearlsides, Maurolicus spp., have such a pure rod retina, their behavior is at odds with this simplex visual system. Contrary to other deep-sea fishes, pearlsides are mostly active during dusk and dawn close to the surface, where light levels are intermediate (twilight or mesopic) and require the use of both rod and cone photoreceptors. This study elucidates this paradox by demonstrating that the pearlside retina does not have rod photoreceptors only; instead, it is composed almost exclusively of transmuted cone photoreceptors. These transmuted cells combine the morphological characteristics of a rod photoreceptor with a cone opsin and a cone phototransduction cascade to form a unique photoreceptor type, a rod-like cone, specifically tuned to the light conditions of the pearlsides' habitat (blue-shifted light at mesopic intensities). Combining properties of both rods and cones into a single cell type, instead of using two photoreceptor types that do not function at their full potential under mesopic conditions, is likely to be the most efficient and economical solution to optimize visual performance. These results challenge the standing paradigm of the function and evolution of the vertebrate duplex retina and emphasize the need for a more comprehensive evaluation of visual systems in general.

Notes

Files

Files (179.8 MB)

Name Size Download all
md5:3113dc763915669e6c2b3fe64312781e
48.2 MB Download
md5:21c4ded36b5a286b3fa0c6efb5033e37
25.7 MB Download
md5:ccc493659e7244879c79f5fdd63702db
54.0 MB Download
md5:bd71eb302ca77d20bab39367247c70b3
51.4 MB Download
md5:9ab977b6ffc1945190226b513d8cf6aa
87.6 kB Download
md5:31e4a230b4fd110bf9c007e8a93278b0
3.8 kB Download
md5:1feaeb47646a137de6655fa097caf6e3
32.2 kB Download
md5:35095f462fa89dcb3c429ce7abbcba16
16.2 kB Download
md5:c5112a3cc23fa4b1310af9fd41eafec9
2.3 kB Download
md5:b33d02a12fad2b91f2ed12d7617b7105
27.5 kB Download
md5:136292c3f623b8afc59461c147d0c492
159.3 kB Download
md5:0cac240a768aa8d53113755e3b993983
14.3 kB Download
md5:284f627517c293a1ebca0f103b4673ef
5.3 kB Download
md5:5ab4a58b5ae3876073163678f85fc4c2
833 Bytes Download
md5:7f8a8afa382e7b0d9c203d2d9e336da2
67.4 kB Download
md5:2af9c7e8c124b5ce138158ca6867c5f4
9.4 kB Download

Additional details

Related works

Is cited by
10.1126/sciadv.aao4709 (DOI)