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Color vision evolution in egg-laying mammals: insights from visual photoreceptors and daily activities of Australian echidnas by Shiina Sakamoto; Yuka Matsushita; Akihiro Itoigawa; Takumi Ezawa; Takeshi Fujitani; Kenichiro Takakura; Yang Zhou; Guojie Zhang; Frank Grutzner; Shoji Kawamura; Takashi Hayakawa is a Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology article available to read on EtoBox.

What is Color vision evolution in egg-laying mammals: insights from visual photoreceptors and daily activities of Australian echidnas about?

Egg-laying mammals (monotremes) are considered “primitive” due to traits such as oviparity, cloaca, and incomplete homeothermy, all of which they share with reptiles. Two groups of monotremes, the terrestrial echidna (Tachyglossidae) and semiaquatic platypus (Ornithorhynchidae), have evolved highly divergent characters since their emergence in the Cenozoic era. These evolutionary differences, notably including distinct electrosensory and chemosensory systems, result from adaptations to species-specific habitat conditions. To date, very few studies have examined the visual adaptation of echidna and platypus. In the present study, we show that echidna and platypus have different light absorption spectra in their dichromatic visual sensory systems at the molecular level. We analyzed absorption spectra of monotreme color opsins, long-wavelength sensitive opsin (LWS) and short-wavelength sensitive opsin 2 (SWS2). The wavelength of maximum absorbance (__λ__~max~) in LWS was 570.2 in short-beaked echidna (__Tachyglossus aculeatus__) and 560.6 nm in platypus (__Ornithorhynchus anatinus__); in SWS2, __λ__~max~ was 451.7 and 442.6 nm, respectively. Thus, the spectral range in echidna color v

Who reads Color vision evolution in egg-laying mammals: insights from visual photoreceptors and daily activities of Australian echidnas?

Author

Shiina Sakamoto; Yuka Matsushita; Akihiro Itoigawa; Takumi Ezawa; Takeshi Fujitani; Kenichiro Takakura; Yang Zhou; Guojie Zhang; Frank Grutzner; Shoji Kawamura; Takashi Hayakawa

Publisher

BioMed Central

Published

2024

Language

EN

Field

Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (Life Sciences)