Work

High-resolution vision in pelagic polychaetes

Year: 2024

Type: article

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.

Source: Current Biology

DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.02.055

Authors: Michael J. Bok, Armando Macali, Anders Garm

Institutions: Lund University, Università degli Studi della Tuscia, University of Copenhagen

Language: English

Topic: Marine Biology and Ecology Research

Subfield: Oceanography

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $7,030

Funders: Carlsbergfondet, Paul Scherrer Institut, Vetenskapsrådet