Out of water in the dark: Plasticity in visual structures and function in an amphibious fish

Abstract

Many fishes encounter periods of prolonged darkness within their lifetime, yet the consequences for the visual system are poorly understood. We used an amphibious fish (Kryptolebias marmoratus) that occupies dark terrestrial environments during seasonal droughts to test whether exposure to prolonged darkness diminishes visual performance owing to reduced optic tectum (OT) size and/or neurogenesis. We performed a 3-week acclimation with a 2 2 factorial design, in which fish were either acclimated to a 12 h:12 h or 0 h:24 h light:dark photoperiod in water or in air. We found that water-exposed fish had poorer visual acuity when acclimated to the dark, while air-acclimated fish had poorer visual acuity regardless of photoperiod. The ability of K. marmoratus to capture aerial prey from water followed a similar trend, suggesting that good vision is important for hunting effectively. Changes in visual acuity did not result from changes in OT size, but air-acclimated fish had 37% fewer proliferating cells in the OT than water-acclimated fish. AsK. marmoratus are unable to eat on land, reducing cell proliferation in the OT may serve as a mechanism to reduce maintenance costs associated with the visual system. Overall, we suggest that prolonged darkness and air exposure can impair vision in K. marmoratus, and that changes in visual performance may be mediated, in part, by OT neurogenesis. More broadly, we show that plastic changes to the visual system of fishes can have potential consequences for organismal performance and fitness.