Skip to main content
Log in

The visual ecology of avian cone oil droplets

  • Published:
Journal of Comparative Physiology A Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Microspectrophotometric (msp) measurements were made of retinal oil droplets of 15 species of birds from 5 orders. The droplets were assigned to six categories on the basis of their cut-off wavelengths. Counts of oil droplets from the retinae of different species revealed large variations in the proportions of oil droplets of different categories. Cluster analysis was used to demonstrate relationships between 12 species of birds on the basis of their oil droplet complements. This analysis linked species in ways which were best explained by ecological factors and which only sometimes reflected phylogeny.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

msp :

microspectrophotometry

References

  • Baylor DA, Fettiplace R (1975) Light path and photon capture in turtle photoreceptors. J Physiol (Lond) 248:433–464

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowmaker JK (1979) Visual pigments and oil droplets in the pigeon retina, as measured by microspectrophotometry, and their relationship to spectral sensitivity. In: Granda AM, Maxwell JH (eds) Neural mechanisms of behaviour in the pigeon. Plenum Press, New York, pp 287–305

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowmaker JK, Knowles A (1977) The visual pigments and oil droplets of the chicken retina. Vision Res 17:755–764

    Google Scholar 

  • Campbell B, Lack E (1985) A dictionary of birds. Poyser, England, pp 1–670

    Google Scholar 

  • Cramp S (1977) Handbook of birds of Europe, the middle east and north Africa: the birds of the western palearctic; vol 1: ostrich to ducks. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 1–722

    Google Scholar 

  • Davies BH (1976) Carotenoids. In: Goodwin TN (ed) Chemistry and biochemistry of plant pigments, vol 2, 2nd edn. Academic Press, London, pp 38–165

    Google Scholar 

  • Delacour J (1954) Waterfowl of the world vol 1, magpie goose, whistling ducks, swans, geese, sheldgeese and shelducks. Countrylife, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Delacour J (1956) Waterfowl of the world, vol 2: dabbling ducks. Countrylife, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Delacour J (1959) Waterfowl of the world, vol 3, eiders, pochards, perching ducks, scoters, goldeneyes, mergansers, stiff-tailed ducks. Countrylife, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Everitt BS (1986) Cluster analysis. 2nd edn. Halsted Press

  • Fujimoto K, Yanase T, Hanaoka T (1957) Spectral transmittance of retinal coloured oil globules re-examined with a microspectrophotometer. Jpn J Physiol 7:339–346

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldsmith TH, Collins JS, Licht S (1984) The cone oil droplets of avian retinas. Vision Res 24:1661–1671

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodwin TW (1984) The biochemistry of carotenoids, vol II: Animals. Chapman and Hall, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Gurney JH (1913) The gannet: a bird with a history. Witherby, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Ham WT, Meuler HA, Sliney DH (1976) Retinal sensitivity to damage from short wavelength light. Nature (Lond) 260:153–154

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnsgard PA (1965) Handbook of waterfowl behaviour. Constable & Co, pp 1–378

  • Kear J, Duplaix-Hall N (1975) Flamingos. Poyser, Berkhampstead, UK, pp 1–246

    Google Scholar 

  • King-Smith PE (1969) Absorption spectra and function of the coloured oil droplets in the pigeon retina. Vision Res 9:1391–1399

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirschfeld K (1982) Carotenoid pigments: their possible role in protecting against photoxidation in eyes and photoreceptor cells. Proc R Soc London B 216:71–85

    Google Scholar 

  • Lack DL (1974) Evolution illustrated by waterfowl. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, pp 1–96

    Google Scholar 

  • Liebman PA, Granda AM (1971) Microspectrophotometric measurements of visual pigments in two species of turtle,Pseudemys scripta andChelonia mydas. Vision Res 11:105–114

    Google Scholar 

  • Lipetz LE (1984a) A new method for determining peak absorbance of dense pigment samples and its application to the cone oil droplets ofEmydoidea blandingii. Vision Res 24:597–604

    Google Scholar 

  • Lipetz LE (1984b) Pigment types, densities and concentrations in cone oil droplets ofEmydoidea blandingii. Vision Res 24:605–612

    Google Scholar 

  • Loew ER (1982) A field portable microspectrophotometer. In: Packer L (ed) Methods in enzymology, vol 81. Academic Press, New York, pp 647–655

    Google Scholar 

  • Lythgoe JN (1979) The ecology of vision. Clarendon Press, Oxford, pp 1–244

    Google Scholar 

  • Meyer DB (1977) The avian eye and its adaptations. In: Crescitelli F (ed) The visual system in vertebrates. (Handbook of sensory physiology, vol VII/5). Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 549–611

    Google Scholar 

  • Meyer DB, Cooper TG, Gernez C (1965) Retinal oil droplets. In: Rohen JW (ed) The structure of the eye. Schattauer, Stuttgart, pp 521–533

    Google Scholar 

  • Muntz WRA (1972) Inert absorbing and reflecting pigments. In: Dartnall HJA (ed) Photochemistry of vision (Handbook of sensory physiology, vol VII/1). Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 529–565

    Google Scholar 

  • Neumeyer C, Jager J (1985) Spectral sensitivity of the freshwater turtlePseudemys scripta elegans: evidence for the filter-effect of coloured oil droplets. Vision Res 25:833–838

    Google Scholar 

  • Owen M (1977) Wildfowl of Europe. Macmillan, London, pp 1–256

    Google Scholar 

  • Parker RE (1979) Introductory statistics for biology. In: Parker RE (ed) Studies in biology, vol 43, 2nd edn. Edward Arnold, London, pp 1–122

    Google Scholar 

  • Partridge JC (1986) Microspectrophotometry of vertebrate photoreceptors. PhD Thesis, University of Bristol, UK, pp 1–388

    Google Scholar 

  • Peiponen VA (1964) Zur Bedeutung der Ölkugeln im Farbensehen der Sauropsiden. Ann Zool Fenn 1:281–302

    Google Scholar 

  • Pielou EC (1984) The interpretation of ecological data. Wiley-Interscience, New York, pp 1–263

    Google Scholar 

  • Roaf HE (1929) The absorption of light by coloured globules in the retina of the domestic hen. Proc R Soc London B 105:371–374

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodieck RW (1973) The vertebrate retina: principles of structure and function. Freeman, San Francisco, pp 1–1044

    Google Scholar 

  • Sneath PHA, Sokal RR (1973) Numerical taxonomy. Freeman, San Francisco, pp 1–573

    Google Scholar 

  • Sokal RR, Rohlf FJ (1981) Biometry; 2nd. ed. Freeman, San Francisco, pp 1–859

    Google Scholar 

  • Strother GK (1963) Absorption spectra of retinal oil globules in turkey, turtle and pigeon. Exp Cell Res 29:349–355

    Google Scholar 

  • Strother GK, Wolken JJ (1960) Microspectrophotometry. I. Absorption spectra of colored oil globules in the chicken retina. Exp Cell Res 21:504–512

    Google Scholar 

  • Walls GL (1963) The vertebrate eye and its adaptive radiation. Hafner, New York, pp 1–785

    Google Scholar 

  • Walls GL, Judd HD (1933) The intra-ocular colour-filters of vertebrates. Br J Ophthalmol 17:641–675; 705–725

    Google Scholar 

  • Wortel JF, Nuboer JFW (1986) The spectral sensitivity of blue sensitive pigeon cones: evidence for complete screening of the visual pigments by the oil droplets. Vision Res 26:885–886

    Google Scholar 

  • Young SR, Martin GR (1984) Optics of retinal oil droplets: a model of light collection and polarization detection in the avian retina. Vision Res 24:129–137

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Partridge, J.C. The visual ecology of avian cone oil droplets. J. Comp. Physiol. 165, 415–426 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00619360

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00619360

Keywords

Navigation