A butterfly eye’s view of birds

Frentiu, F. and Briscoe, A.D. (2008) A butterfly eye’s view of birds. BioEssays, 30 11-12: 1151-1162.


Author Frentiu, F.
Briscoe, A.D.
Title A butterfly eye’s view of birds
Journal name BioEssays  (ERA 2012 Listed)    (ERA 2010 Rank A)   Check publisher's open access policy
Publication date 2008-10
Sub-type Review of research - research literature review (NOT book review
DOI 10.1002/bies.20828
Volume number 30
Issue number 11-12
ISSN 0265-9247
Start page 1151
End page 1162
Total pages 12
Place of publication United Kingdom
Publisher John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Collection year 2009
Language eng
Subject C1
9608 Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity
0603 Evolutionary Biology
Abstract The striking color patterns of butterflies and birds have long interested biologists. But how these animals see color is less well understood. Opsins are the protein components of the visual pigments of the eye. Color vision has evolved in butterflies through opsin gene duplications, through positive selection at individual opsin loci, and by the use of filtering pigments. By contrast, birds have retained the same opsin complement present in early-jawed vertebrates, and their visual system has diversified primarily through tuning of the short-wavelength-sensitive photoreceptors, rather than by opsin duplication or the use of filtering elements. Butterflies and birds have evolved photoreceptors that might use some of the same amino acid sites for generating similar spectral phenotypes across 540 million years of evolution, when rhabdomeric and ciliary-type opsins radiated during the early Cambrian period. Considering the similarities between the two taxa, it is surprising that the eyes of birds are not more diverse. Additional taxonomic sampling of birds may help clarify this mystery
Q-Index Code C1
Q-Index Status Confirmed Code

Document type: Journal Article
Sub-type: Review of research - research literature review (NOT book review
Collections: 2009 Higher Education Research Data Collection
School of Biological Sciences Publications
 
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