Acuity and summation strategies differ in vinegar and desert fruit flies
Summary: An animal's vision depends on terrain features that limit the amount and distribution of available light. Approximately 10,000 years ago, vinegar flies (Drosophila melanogaster) transitioned from a single plant specialist into a cosmopolitan generalist. Much earlier, desert flies (D. m...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2022-01-01
|
| Series: | iScience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004221016072 |
| _version_ | 1818975822930771968 |
|---|---|
| author | John P. Currea Rachel Frazer Sara M. Wasserman Jamie Theobald |
| author_facet | John P. Currea Rachel Frazer Sara M. Wasserman Jamie Theobald |
| author_sort | John P. Currea |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Summary: An animal's vision depends on terrain features that limit the amount and distribution of available light. Approximately 10,000 years ago, vinegar flies (Drosophila melanogaster) transitioned from a single plant specialist into a cosmopolitan generalist. Much earlier, desert flies (D. mojavensis) colonized the New World, specializing on rotting cactuses in southwest North America. Their desert habitats are characteristically flat, bright, and barren, implying environmental differences in light availability. Here, we demonstrate differences in eye morphology and visual motion perception under three ambient light levels. Reducing ambient light from 35 to 18 cd/m2 causes sensitivity loss in desert but not vinegar flies. However, at 3 cd/m2, desert flies sacrifice spatial and temporal acuity more severely than vinegar flies to maintain contrast sensitivity. These visual differences help vinegar flies navigate under variably lit habitats around the world and desert flies brave the harsh desert while accommodating their crepuscular lifestyle. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T16:02:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-781b3cd15eab49c6bfeefd2745de2108 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2589-0042 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T16:02:04Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | iScience |
| spelling | doaj.art-781b3cd15eab49c6bfeefd2745de21082022-12-21T19:34:14ZengElsevieriScience2589-00422022-01-01251103637Acuity and summation strategies differ in vinegar and desert fruit fliesJohn P. Currea0Rachel Frazer1Sara M. Wasserman2Jamie Theobald3Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USADivision of Neurobiology and Behavior, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USADepartment of Neuroscience, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA 02481, USA; Corresponding authorDepartment of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA; Corresponding authorSummary: An animal's vision depends on terrain features that limit the amount and distribution of available light. Approximately 10,000 years ago, vinegar flies (Drosophila melanogaster) transitioned from a single plant specialist into a cosmopolitan generalist. Much earlier, desert flies (D. mojavensis) colonized the New World, specializing on rotting cactuses in southwest North America. Their desert habitats are characteristically flat, bright, and barren, implying environmental differences in light availability. Here, we demonstrate differences in eye morphology and visual motion perception under three ambient light levels. Reducing ambient light from 35 to 18 cd/m2 causes sensitivity loss in desert but not vinegar flies. However, at 3 cd/m2, desert flies sacrifice spatial and temporal acuity more severely than vinegar flies to maintain contrast sensitivity. These visual differences help vinegar flies navigate under variably lit habitats around the world and desert flies brave the harsh desert while accommodating their crepuscular lifestyle.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004221016072Biological sciencesNeuroscienceNeuroanatomySensory neuroscience |
| spellingShingle | John P. Currea Rachel Frazer Sara M. Wasserman Jamie Theobald Acuity and summation strategies differ in vinegar and desert fruit flies iScience Biological sciences Neuroscience Neuroanatomy Sensory neuroscience |
| title | Acuity and summation strategies differ in vinegar and desert fruit flies |
| title_full | Acuity and summation strategies differ in vinegar and desert fruit flies |
| title_fullStr | Acuity and summation strategies differ in vinegar and desert fruit flies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Acuity and summation strategies differ in vinegar and desert fruit flies |
| title_short | Acuity and summation strategies differ in vinegar and desert fruit flies |
| title_sort | acuity and summation strategies differ in vinegar and desert fruit flies |
| topic | Biological sciences Neuroscience Neuroanatomy Sensory neuroscience |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004221016072 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT johnpcurrea acuityandsummationstrategiesdifferinvinegaranddesertfruitflies AT rachelfrazer acuityandsummationstrategiesdifferinvinegaranddesertfruitflies AT saramwasserman acuityandsummationstrategiesdifferinvinegaranddesertfruitflies AT jamietheobald acuityandsummationstrategiesdifferinvinegaranddesertfruitflies |