Abstract
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.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-016-0679-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
The visual system is important for animals for mate choice, food acquisition, and predator avoidance
Behavioral responses to long wavelengths of light We were able to measure the behavioral sensitivity to long wavelengths of light for ten individuals, five under green light and five under orange light, because 10 of 15 individuals readily followed the moving stripes, whereas five did not and remained at one side of the cylinder, even under the strongest light intensity
The significant interaction between orange light during growth and the 600-nm wavelength light indicated that individuals grown under orange light were significantly more sensitive to 600-nm light than those grown under green light (Table 1; Fig. 1)
Summary
The visual system is important for animals for mate choice, food acquisition, and predator avoidance. 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. 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). Various environmental factors, such as food abundance, predation pressure, parasites, and other biotic/abiotic factors affect the expression of sexual signals and preferences [3, 4]. Because a broad range of animals use coloration as a sexual signal, the visual system has become one of the most actively studied sensory drive systems.
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