Skip to main content
Journal cover image

Visual acuity in ray-finned fishes correlates with eye size and habitat.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Caves, EM; Sutton, TT; Johnsen, S
Published in: The Journal of experimental biology
May 2017

Visual acuity (the ability to resolve spatial detail) is highly variable across fishes. However, little is known about the evolutionary pressures underlying this variation. We reviewed published literature to create an acuity database for 159 species of ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii). Within a subset of those species for which we had phylogenetic information and anatomically measured acuity data (n=81), we examined relationships between acuity and both morphological (eye size and body size) and ecological (light level, water turbidity, habitat spatial complexity and diet) variables. Acuity was significantly correlated with eye size (P<0.001); a weaker correlation with body size occurred via a correlation between eye and body size (P<0.001). Acuity decreased as light level decreased and turbidity increased; however, these decreases resulted from fishes in dark or murky environments having smaller eyes and bodies than those in bright or clear environments. We also found significantly lower acuity in horizon-dominated habitats than in featureless or complex habitats. Higher acuity in featureless habitats is likely due to species having absolutely larger eyes and bodies in that environment, though eye size relative to body size is not significantly different from that in complex environments. Controlling for relative eye size, we found that species in complex environments have even higher acuity than predicted. We found no relationship between visual acuity and diet. Our results show that eye size is a primary factor underlying variation in fish acuity. We additionally show that habitat type is an important ecological factor that correlates with acuity in certain species.

Duke Scholars

Altmetric Attention Stats
Dimensions Citation Stats

Published In

The Journal of experimental biology

DOI

EISSN

1477-9145

ISSN

0022-0949

Publication Date

May 2017

Volume

220

Issue

Pt 9

Start / End Page

1586 / 1596

Related Subject Headings

  • Visual Acuity
  • Physiology
  • Organ Size
  • Light
  • Fishes
  • Eye
  • Ecosystem
  • Body Size
  • Biological Evolution
  • Animals
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Caves, E. M., Sutton, T. T., & Johnsen, S. (2017). Visual acuity in ray-finned fishes correlates with eye size and habitat. The Journal of Experimental Biology, 220(Pt 9), 1586–1596. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.151183
Caves, Eleanor M., Tracey T. Sutton, and Sönke Johnsen. “Visual acuity in ray-finned fishes correlates with eye size and habitat.The Journal of Experimental Biology 220, no. Pt 9 (May 2017): 1586–96. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.151183.
Caves EM, Sutton TT, Johnsen S. Visual acuity in ray-finned fishes correlates with eye size and habitat. The Journal of experimental biology. 2017 May;220(Pt 9):1586–96.
Caves, Eleanor M., et al. “Visual acuity in ray-finned fishes correlates with eye size and habitat.The Journal of Experimental Biology, vol. 220, no. Pt 9, May 2017, pp. 1586–96. Epmc, doi:10.1242/jeb.151183.
Caves EM, Sutton TT, Johnsen S. Visual acuity in ray-finned fishes correlates with eye size and habitat. The Journal of experimental biology. 2017 May;220(Pt 9):1586–1596.
Journal cover image

Published In

The Journal of experimental biology

DOI

EISSN

1477-9145

ISSN

0022-0949

Publication Date

May 2017

Volume

220

Issue

Pt 9

Start / End Page

1586 / 1596

Related Subject Headings

  • Visual Acuity
  • Physiology
  • Organ Size
  • Light
  • Fishes
  • Eye
  • Ecosystem
  • Body Size
  • Biological Evolution
  • Animals