Effect of Season and Sex on the Photopic Spectral Sensitivity of the Three-Spined Stickleback

1968 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 679-687
Author(s):  
JOHN CRONLY-DILLON ◽  
SANSAR C. SHARMA
Keyword(s):  
Spectral Sensitivity ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Threshold Value ◽  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Consistent Difference ◽  
Optomotor Response ◽  
Males And Females

1. The photopic spectral sensitivity of the three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus was obtained behaviourally using the optomotor response as the index of sensitivity. Our experiments were designed to determine whether spectral sensitivity was affected (i) by the sex of the fish, and (ii) by season. 2. In females γmax occurred at approximately 510 run. and 594 nm. In males the corresponding values were 502 nm. and 594 nm. Thus there appears to be a small but consistent difference of the order of 10 nm. between the shorter wavelength peaks of males and females. 3. In males the spectral sensitivity appears to remain virtually unchanged throughout the year. By contrast, during the summer months when reproductive activity is highest, the optomotor threshold for females at the red (594 nm.) end of the spectrum is considerably lower than the corresponding threshold value for males. This difference between the sexes disappears during winter months when reproductive activity is at a minimum.

Salinity tolerances and preferences of fry of two species of sympatric sticklebacks: possible mechanisms of habitat segregation

1984 ◽  
Vol 62 (6) ◽  
pp. 1048-1051 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Campeau ◽  
Helga Guderley ◽  
Gerard Fitzgerald
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marshes ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Tidal River ◽  
Differential Distribution ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Parental Stock ◽  
Salinity Preference ◽  
Tolerance Field ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary

During their period of reproductive activity, the sticklebacks Gasterosteus aculeatus (trachurus) and Gasterosteus wheatlandi show differences in their use of available microhabitats in the salt marshes of the St. Lawrence estuary. Gasterosteus aculeatus is found at all stations along a tidal river, Rivière des Vases, while G. wheatlandi is absent from the sites exposed to freshwater. To determine whether the juveniles of these species have different sensitivities to low salinities which could account for their differential distribution, we examined the salinity tolerances of laboratory-reared fry. Adult G. aculeatus (form trachurus) and G. wheatlandi collected at the mouth of the Rivière des Vases were used as the parental stock. For 1-week-old fry of both species, freshwater represented a marginal environment. Following exposure to freshwater for 96 h, G. aculeatus fry showed a 22% mortality while G. wheatlandi showed a significant decrease in growth. By 5 weeks of age, both species were euryhaline. Despite a wide salinity tolerance, field-collected G. wheatlandi significantly preferred a salinity of 7–14‰ while field-collected G. aculeatus fry showed no significant salinity preference.

Reproductive biology of the false coral snake Oxyrhopus guibei (Colubridae) from southeastern Brazil

2002 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 495-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Otavio Marques ◽  
Lígia Pizzatto
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Reproductive Biology ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Coral Snake ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Reproductive Cycles ◽  
Number Of Individuals

AbstractThe reproductive biology of the false coral snake, Oxyrhopus guibei, was studied through dissection of 496 specimens, combined with observations on captive individuals. Males mature with smaller body size than females, females attain much larger body size, and male-male combat is not expected. Clutch size ranged from 3 to 20, and was correlated with female length. Reproductive cycles in both males and females seem to be continuous, with vitellogenesis and spermatogenesis occurring throughout the year. Reproductive activity in both sexes decreased at the end of the rainy season possibly due to previous intense reproductive activity in more favorable climatic conditions. The smaller number of individuals collected at the end of the rainy season apparently occurs due to the decrease of reproductive activity of this snake.

The reproductive cycle of the newt Triturus italicus

1992 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabio M. Guarino ◽  
Vincenzo Caputo ◽  
Francesco Angelini
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Reproductive Cycle ◽  
Annual Variation ◽  
Southern Italy ◽  
Fat Body ◽  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Egg Deposition ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Mountain Population

AbstractThis paper describes the reproductive cycle in male and female newts Triturus italicus (Peracca, 1898) from a mountain population living in southern Italy. The male shows a well-defined seasonal testicular cycle: spermatogenesis almost stops from November to March, resuming in April-May; the maturative stage of spermatogenesis occurs in summer and spermiohistogenesis is completed by late October. Spermiation starts in late autumn and culminates in the next spring. The female shows a seasonal ovarian cycle. Vitellogenesis starts in September; ovulation and egg deposition occur between late January and early June. Thus potentially long reproductive activity is demonstrated in both males and females of T italicus. Testicular and ovarian weights seem to be reliable indices of the reproductive status of an animal. Annual variation in gonadal weight appears unrelated to annual variation in fat body weight in both sexes.

Ecological strategies of a small hibernator, the western jumping mouse Zapus princeps

1983 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 232-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack A. Cranford
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Fat Deposition ◽  
Site Quality ◽  
Ecological Strategies ◽  
Density Maximum ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Coherent Picture

The seasonal emergence, reproduction, diet, fat deposition, and immergence of six wild populations of Zapus princeps from elevations of 1860–2900 m were studied by trap–recapture methods and laboratory observations from April 1974 to November 1978. Emergence timing varied widely between and within sites in different years. It was not related to increasing elevation but to site quality. Vegetative growth was an excellent predictor of emergence timing at all sites. Emergence of males and females was synchronous except above 2200 m where males preceded females by 3–9 days. Field and laboratory experiments and observations were made on Z. princeps, including habitat preferences, competitive relationships, population density (maximum = 32.4/ha), length and timing of the active cycle (87 days), reproductive activity (1 litter/year), litter size [Formula: see text], age structure of populations, growth rates, seasonal fat deposition (0.65 g/day),and home-range size(0.17–0.61 ha). This attempts to formulate a coherent picture of the system of strategies by which a small hibernator adapts to its environment.

scholarly journals Behavioural red-light sensitivity in fish according to the optomotor response

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 210415
Author(s):  
Megumi Matsuo ◽  
Yasuhiro Kamei ◽  
Shoji Fukamachi
Keyword(s):  
Spectral Sensitivity ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Red Light ◽  
Light Sensitivity ◽  
Visual Sensitivity ◽  
Infrared Light ◽  
Optomotor Response ◽  
Optokinetic Response ◽  
Cone Opsin

Various procedures have been adopted to investigate spectral sensitivity of animals, e.g. absorption spectra of visual pigments, electroretinography, optokinetic response, optomotor response (OMR) and phototaxis. The use of these techniques has led to various conclusions about animal vision. However, visual sensitivity should be evaluated consistently for a reliable comparison. In this study, we retrieved behavioural data of several fish species using a single OMR procedure and compared their sensitivities to near-infrared light. Besides cavefish that lack eyes, some species were not appropriate for the OMR test because they either stayed still or changed swimming direction frequently. Eight of 13 fish species tested were OMR positive. Detailed analyses using medaka, goldfish, zebrafish, guppy, stickleback and cichlid revealed that all the fish were sensitive to light at a wavelength greater than or equal to 750 nm, where the threshold wavelengths varied from 750 to 880 nm. Fish opsin repertoire affected the perception of red light. By contrast, the copy number of long-wavelength-sensitive ( LWS ) genes did not necessarily improve red-light sensitivity. While the duplication of LWS and other cone opsin genes that has occurred extensively during fish evolution might not aid increasing spectral sensitivity, it may provide some other advantageous ophthalmic function, such as enhanced spectral discrimination.

Light Sensitivity as Related to Age and Sex

1967 ◽  
Vol 24 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1279-1288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert Burg
Keyword(s):  
Recovery Time ◽  
Normative Data ◽  
Light Sensitivity ◽  
Consistent Difference ◽  
Progressive Deterioration ◽  
Form Recognition ◽  
Low Correlation ◽  
Recognition Ability ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Age And Sex

In order to provide normative data on light sensitivity as a function of age and sex, some 17,500 Ss, ages 16 to 92, were tested for both form recognition ability and glare recovery time under scotopic levels of illumination. The results show: (a) a progressive deterioration of performance on both tests with increasing age, (b) a very low correlation between form recognition ability and glare recovery time, and (c) no consistent difference in performance between males and females. Possible explanations for these findings are presented.

The Spectral Sensitivity of the Goldfish and the Clawed Toad Tadpole Under Photopic Conditions

1965 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 481-493
Author(s):  
J. R. CRONLY-DILLON ◽  
W. R. A. MUNTZ
Keyword(s):  
Spectral Sensitivity ◽  
Physiological Data ◽  
Optomotor Response ◽  
Goldfish Carassius Auratus ◽  
Phototactic Response ◽  
Sensitivity Curves ◽  
Maximal Sensitivity ◽  
Toad Tadpole ◽  
Cone Sensitivity ◽  
Vitamin A2

1. Photopic spectral sensitivity curves have been obtained by means of the optomotor response for the tadpole of the clawed toad (Xenopus laevis), and for the goldfish (Carassius auratus). Both these animals have visual pigments based on vitamin A2, and would be expected therefore to have photopic sensitivity curves maximal at about 615 mµ and fitting, at any rate approximately, the absorption spectrum of cyanopsin. 2. The results with Xenopus show a broad curve extending far into the red, and having its maximal sensitivity at about 630 mµ It is probable that this curve reflects the summated activity of two receptors, maximally sensitive at 610 and 630 m/t. 3. The results are discussed in relation to other behavioural work with Xenopus, using the phototactic response, in which an entirely different form of spectral curve was obtained, and in relation to behavioural and physiological data which are available for Rana. 4. The photopic curve of the goldfish shows three humps, which can be separated out to a large extent by using different background illuminations. One hump is maximal at about 610 mµ, the classical position for cone sensitivity in freshwater fish. A second hump is maximal at about 530 mµ and is probably due to the rods, and the third hump is maximal at about 450 mµ in the blue. The relation of these three receptors to colour vision in this animal are discussed.

Spectral inputs and ocellar contributions to a pitch-sensitive descending neuron in the honeybee

2013 ◽  
Vol 109 (4) ◽  
pp. 1202-1213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y.-S. Hung ◽  
J. P. van Kleef ◽  
G. Stange ◽  
M. R. Ibbotson
Keyword(s):  
Spectral Sensitivity ◽  
Short Wavelength ◽  
Visual Motion ◽  
Spectral Response ◽  
Processing System ◽  
Motion Processing ◽  
Neural Pathways ◽  
Optomotor Response ◽  
Motion Direction ◽  
Response Component

By measuring insect compensatory optomotor reflexes to visual motion, researchers have examined the computational mechanisms of the motion processing system. However, establishing the spectral sensitivity of the neural pathways that underlie this motion behavior has been difficult, and the contribution of the simple eyes (ocelli) has been rarely examined. In this study we investigate the spectral response properties and ocellar inputs of an anatomically identified descending neuron (DNII2) in the honeybee optomotor pathway. Using a panoramic stimulus, we show that it responds selectively to optic flow associated with pitch rotations. The neuron is also stimulated with a custom-built light-emitting diode array that presented moving bars that were either all-green (spectrum 500–600 nm, peak 530 nm) or all-short wavelength (spectrum 350–430 nm, peak 380 nm). Although the optomotor response is thought to be dominated by green-sensitive inputs, we show that DNII2 is equally responsive to, and direction selective to, both green- and short-wavelength stimuli. The color of the background image also influences the spontaneous spiking behavior of the cell: a green background produces significantly higher spontaneous spiking rates. Stimulating the ocelli produces strong modulatory effects on DNII2, significantly increasing the amplitude of its responses in the preferred motion direction and decreasing the response latency by adding a directional, short-latency response component. Our results suggest that the spectral sensitivity of the optomotor response in honeybees may be more complicated than previously thought and that ocelli play a significant role in shaping the timing of motion signals.

Short term changes in sex ratio and density alter coercive male mating tactics

Behaviour ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 147 (11) ◽  
pp. 1431-1442 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Cureton II ◽  
Raelynn Deaton ◽  
Rachel Martin
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Operational Sex Ratio ◽  
Mating Frequency ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Mating Tactics ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Classic Theory ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
The Impact

AbstractShort term fluctuations in operational sex ratio (OSR) and density can strongly influence male mating, often exacerbating conflict between males and females. Livebearing fishes of the genus Gambusia are ideal for investigating sexual conflict because males of all sizes mate coercively. In this study, we tested how short-term fluctuations in OSR and density influence coercive male mating behaviours. Specifically, we tested the prediction that as OSR becomes more female biased, males will mate with all available females. In contrast, as OSR becomes more male biased, male aggression will inhibit mating frequency. As predicted, males mated with more females as the number of available females increased. Moreover, males were less aggressive as the proportion of females increased and more aggressive as the number of males increased. This resulted in an inverse relationship between mating and aggression with OSR and density. Coercive males attempt to maximize their reproductive success by mating with all available females, which supports classic theory on the impact of OSR and density on reproductive activity.

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