Evolution of eye morphology and rhodopsin expression in the Drosophila melanogaster species subgroup.

ABSTRACT: A striking diversity of compound eye size and shape has evolved among insects. The number of ommatidia and their size are major determinants of the visual sensitivity and acuity of the compound eye. Each ommatidium is composed of eight photoreceptor cells that facilitate the discrimination of different colours via the expression of various light sensitive Rhodopsin proteins. It follows that variation in eye size, shape, and opsin composition is likely to directly influence vision. We analyzed variation in these three traits in D. melanogaster, D. simulans and D. mauritiana. We show that D. mauritiana generally has larger eyes than its sibling species, which is due to a combination of larger ommatidia and more ommatidia. In addition, intra- and inter-specific differences in eye size among D

SUBMITTER: Posnien N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3360684 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature