Variable vision in variable environments: the visual system of an invasive cichlid (Cichla monoculus) in Lake Gatun, Panama.

ABSTRACT: An adaptive visual system is essential for organisms inhabiting new or changing light environments. The Panama Canal exhibits such variable environments owing to its anthropogenic origin and current human activities. Within the Panama Canal, Lake Gatun harbors several exotic fish species including the invasive peacock bass (Cichla monoculus), a predatory Amazonian cichlid. In this research, through spectral measurements and molecular and physiological experiments, we studied the visual system of C. monoculus and its adaptive capabilities. Our results suggest that (1) Lake Gatun is a highly variable environment, where light transmission changes throughout the canal waterway, and that (2) C. monoculus has several visual adaptations suited for this red-shifted light envir

SUBMITTER: Escobar-Camacho D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6451412 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature