FAS Abstracts 2004 Meeting Page

Biological Sciences (BIO A): BIO-1

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Retinal development in elopomorph fishes. S.M. TAYLOR and M.S. GRACE. Dept. Biology, Florida Inst. Tech., Melbourne, FL 32901. Vision is critical to survival and development in fishes. Teleost fishes shift dramatically in ecology and morphology as they mature, and their visual systems must also change to maintain functionality. Unlike mammals, the teleost retina continuously adds new neurons, making it an important model system. We studied interspecific retinal development in the teleost subdivision Elopomorpha to test whether retinal architecture changes predictably as nearly identical elopomorph larvae mature to ecologically distinct adult forms. High resolution light microscopy revealed pure-rod retinas in all elopomorph larvae, in stark contrast to pure-cone retinas of most other teleosts.  Juvenile and adult retinas were duplex, and photoreceptor arrays differed dramatically among species. The rare pattern of development found in elopomorph larvae is evolutionarily significant, while subsequent interspecific differences likely reflect ecological divergence. Support: Sigma-Xi GIAR to SMT.