Effects of light environment during growth on the expression of cone opsin genes and behavioral spectral sensitivities in guppies (Poecilia reticulata)

BMC Evolutionary Biology

Research Article

Masakado Kawata¹  Yusuke Sakai¹  Hajime Ohtsuki¹  Satoshi Kasagi²  Shoji Kawamura² 

[1] Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 980-8578, Sendai, Japan;Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo, 277-8562, Kashiwa, Japan;

关键词: Opsin;    Color vision;    Light environment;    Sexual signals;    Sensory drive;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12862-016-0679-z

 received in 2016-01-20, accepted in 2016-05-06,  发布年份 2016

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe visual system is important for animals for mate choice, food acquisition, and predator avoidance. Animals possessing a visual system can sense particular wavelengths of light emanating from objects and their surroundings and perceive their environments by processing information contained in these visual perceptions of light. Visual perception in individuals varies with the absorption spectra of visual pigments and the expression levels of opsin genes, which may be altered according to the light environments. However, which light environments and the mechanism by which they change opsin expression profiles and whether these changes in opsin gene expression can affect light sensitivities are largely unknown. This study determined whether the light environment during growth induced plastic changes in opsin gene expression and behavioral sensitivity to particular wavelengths of light in guppies (Poecilia reticulata).ResultsIndividuals grown under orange light exhibited a higher expression of long wavelength-sensitive (LWS) opsin genes and a higher sensitivity to 600-nm light than those grown under green light. In addition, we confirmed that variations in the expression levels of LWS opsin genes were related to the behavioral sensitivities to long wavelengths of light.ConclusionsThe light environment during the growth stage alters the expression levels of LWS opsin genes and behavioral sensitivities to long wavelengths of light in guppies. The plastically enhanced sensitivity to background light due to changes in opsin gene expression can enhance the detection and visibility of predators and foods, thereby affecting survival. Moreover, changes in sensitivities to orange light may lead to changes in the discrimination of orange/red colors of male guppies and might alter female preferences for male color patterns.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Sakai et al. 2016