Evolution of compound eye morphology underlies differences in vision between closely related Drosophila species.

Autor: Buffry AD; Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK., Currea JP; Integrative Biology and Physiology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA., Franke-Gerth FA; Molecular Evolution and Systematics of Animals, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, Talstrasse 33, 04103, Leipzig, Germany., Palavalli-Nettimi R; Institute of the Environment and Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA., Bodey AJ; Diamond Light Source Ltd, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, UK., Rau C; Diamond Light Source Ltd, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, UK., Samadi N; Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, 5232, Villigen PSI, Switzerland., Gstöhl SJ; Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, 5232, Villigen PSI, Switzerland., Schlepütz CM; Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, 5232, Villigen PSI, Switzerland., McGregor AP; Department of Biosciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK., Sumner-Rooney L; Museum Für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Research, Berlin, 10115, Germany., Theobald J; Institute of the Environment and Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA., Kittelmann M; Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK. maike.kittelmann@brookes.ac.uk.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: BMC biology [BMC Biol] 2024 Mar 19; Vol. 22 (1), pp. 67. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Mar 19.
DOI: 10.1186/s12915-024-01864-7
Abstrakt: Background: Insects have evolved complex visual systems and display an astonishing range of adaptations for diverse ecological niches. Species of Drosophila melanogaster subgroup exhibit extensive intra- and interspecific differences in compound eye size. These differences provide an excellent opportunity to better understand variation in insect eye structure and the impact on vision. Here we further explored the difference in eye size between D. mauritiana and its sibling species D. simulans.
Results: We confirmed that D. mauritiana have rapidly evolved larger eyes as a result of more and wider ommatidia than D. simulans since they recently diverged approximately 240,000 years ago. The functional impact of eye size, and specifically ommatidia size, is often only estimated based on the rigid surface morphology of the compound eye. Therefore, we used 3D synchrotron radiation tomography to measure optical parameters in 3D, predict optical capacity, and compare the modelled vision to in vivo optomotor responses. Our optical models predicted higher contrast sensitivity for D. mauritiana, which we verified by presenting sinusoidal gratings to tethered flies in a flight arena. Similarly, we confirmed the higher spatial acuity predicted for Drosophila simulans with smaller ommatidia and found evidence for higher temporal resolution.
Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that even subtle differences in ommatidia size between closely related Drosophila species can impact the vision of these insects. Therefore, further comparative studies of intra- and interspecific variation in eye morphology and the consequences for vision among other Drosophila species, other dipterans and other insects are needed to better understand compound eye structure-function and how the diversification of eye size, shape, and function has helped insects to adapt to the vast range of ecological niches.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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