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SEMINAR: Trade-offs and Blind Alleys: Molecular Evolution of Vision in Sensory Specialists

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Today's date is Friday, March 29, 2024
Trade-offs and Blind Alleys: Molecular Evolution of Vision in Sensory Specialists : Animal Biology Seminar Series Other events...
Among mammals, bats are one of the most speciose and diverse of the mammalian orders: with a remarkable range of habitat use, behaviour and diet. Contrary to folklore, bats are not blind; some have large eyes and excellent eyesight (Pteropodidae), whereas others rely mainly on echolocation and have questionable visual capabilities (Yangochiroptera and Rhinolophoidea). Has been suggested the evolution of highly developed sense of laryngeal echolocation (and specially of high-duty cycle echolocation) has been done at the expenses of other sensory such as vision resulting in the loss of the short-wavelength opsin 1 (SWS1). On the other hand, it has been suggested that the most recent common ancestor of all living snakes was a burrower living approximately 100 million years ago. A component of this hypothesis is that, early in their history, snakes lost several visual structures and mechanisms present generally in other reptiles as an adaptation to their ancestral burrowing lifestyle. The proposed return(s) to the surface of most modern snakes and their adaptation to a broad range of niches has been suggested to be associated with a secondary improvement of vision, making the eye of extant snakes unique among squamate reptiles (and other vertebrates). In addition, extant snakes have a greater diversity of retinal photoreceptor cell types and complements than all other tetrapods together, though reasons for this remain obscure. In this talk we will access the impact ecological niche and the evolution of other sensory on vision in two remarkable cases of visual evolution: bats and snakes.
Speaker(s) Dr. Bruno F. Sim�es
Location Jennifer Arnold Lecture Theatre, Ground Floor, Zoology, UWA
Contact Jessica Mountford <[email protected]>
Start Thu, 04 Dec 2014 13:00
End Thu, 04 Dec 2014 14:00
Submitted by Jessica Mountford <[email protected]>
Last Updated Wed, 19 Nov 2014 15:28
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