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Compound eyes and retinal information processing in miniature dipteran species match their specific ecological demands.

ABSTRACT: The compound eye of insects imposes a tradeoff between resolution and sensitivity, which should exacerbate with diminishing eye size. Tiny lenses are thought to deliver poor acuity because of diffraction; nevertheless, miniature insects have visual systems that allow a myriad of lifestyles. Here, we investigate whether size constraints result in an archetypal eye design shared between miniature dipterans by comparing the visual performance of the fruit fly Drosophila and the killer fly Coenosia. These closely related species have neural superposition eyes and similar body lengths (3 to 4 mm), but Coenosia is a diurnal aerial predator, whereas slow-flying Drosophila is most active at dawn and dusk. Using in vivo intracellular recordings and EM, we report unique adaptations in the form and function of their photoreceptors that are reflective of their distinct lifestyles. We find that although these species have similar lenses and optical properties, Coenosia photoreceptors have three- to fourfold higher spatial resolution and rate of information transfer than Drosophila. The higher performance in Coenosia mostly results from dramatically diminished light sensors, or rhabdomeres, which reduce pixel size and optical cross-talk between photoreceptors and incorporate accelerated phototransduction reactions. Furthermore, we identify local specializations in the Coenosia eye, consistent with an acute zone and its predatory lifestyle. These results demonstrate how the flexible architecture of miniature compound eyes can evolve to match information processing with ecological demands.

SUBMITTER: Gonzalez-Bellido PT

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3054003 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Compound eyes and retinal information processing in miniature dipteran species match their specific ecological demands.

Gonzalez-Bellido Paloma T PT Wardill Trevor J TJ Juusola Mikko M

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20110222 10

The compound eye of insects imposes a tradeoff between resolution and sensitivity, which should exacerbate with diminishing eye size. Tiny lenses are thought to deliver poor acuity because of diffraction; nevertheless, miniature insects have visual systems that allow a myriad of lifestyles. Here, we investigate whether size constraints result in an archetypal eye design shared between miniature dipterans by comparing the visual performance of the fruit fly Drosophila and the killer fly Coenosia. ...[more]

PMID: 21368135

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Project description:BackgroundRugby league is a collision sport, where players are expected to be physically competent in a range of areas, including aerobic fitness, strength, speed and power. Several studies have attempted to characterise the physical demands of rugby league match-play, but these studies often have relatively small sample sizes based on one or two clubs, which makes generalisation of the findings difficult. Therefore, the aim of this review was to synthesise studies that investigated the physical demands of professional rugby league match-play.MethodsSPORTDiscus, CINAHL, MEDLINE (EBSCO) and Embase (EBSCO) databases were systematically searched from inception until October 2018. Articles were included if they (1) recruited professional rugby league athletes aged ≥ 18 years and (2) provided at least one match-play relevant variable (including playing time, total and relative distance, repeat high-intensity efforts (RHIE), efforts per RHIE, accelerations and decelerations, total and relative collisions). Meta-analyses were used to provide pooled estimates ± 95% confidence intervals.ResultsA total of 30 studies were included. Pooled estimates indicated that, compared to adjustables and backs, forwards have less playing time (- 17.2 ± 5.6 and - 25.6 ± 5.8 min, respectively), cover less 'slow-speed' (- 2230 ± 735 and - 1348 ± 655 m, respectively) and 'high-speed' distance (- 139 ± 108 and - 229 ± 101 m, respectively), but complete more relative RHIEs (+ 0.05 ± 0.05 and + 0.08 ± 0.04 per minute, respectively), and total (+ 12.0 ± 8.1 and + 12.8 ± 7.2 collisions, respectively) and relative collisions (+ 0.32 ± 0.22 and + 0.41 ± 0.22 collisions per minute, respectively). Notably, when the distance was expressed relative to playing time, forwards were not different from adjustables and backs in slow-speed (P ≥ 0.295) and high-speed (P ≥ 0.889) relative distance. The adjustables and backs subgroups were similar in most variables, except playing time (shorter for adjustables, - 8.5 ± 6.2 min), slow-speed distance (greater for adjustables, + 882 ± 763 m) and total relative distance (greater for adjustables, + 11.3 ± 5.2 m·min-1). There were no significant differences between positional groups for efforts per RHIE, accelerations and decelerations (P ≥ 0.745).ConclusionsThese results indicate the unique physical demands of each playing position and should be considered by strength and conditioning and tactical coaches when planning for professional rugby league performance. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: https://osf.io/83tq2/.

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Compound eyes and retinal information processing in miniature dipteran species match their specific ecological demands.

Publications

Compound eyes and retinal information processing in miniature dipteran species match their specific ecological demands.

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