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Biofluorescence in Catsharks (Scyliorhinidae): Fundamental Description and Relevance for Elasmobranch Visual Ecology

Biofluorescence has recently been found to be widespread in marine fishes, including sharks. Catsharks, such as the Swell Shark (Cephaloscyllium ventriosum) from the eastern Pacific and the Chain Catshark (Scyliorhinus retifer) from the western Atlantic, are known to exhibit bright green fluorescenc...

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Autores principales: Gruber, David F., Loew, Ellis R., Deheyn, Dimitri D., Akkaynak, Derya, Gaffney, Jean P., Smith, W. Leo, Davis, Matthew P., Stern, Jennifer H., Pieribone, Vincent A., Sparks, John S.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Nature Publishing Group 2016
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4843165/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27109385
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep24751
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author Gruber, David F.
Loew, Ellis R.
Deheyn, Dimitri D.
Akkaynak, Derya
Gaffney, Jean P.
Smith, W. Leo
Davis, Matthew P.
Stern, Jennifer H.
Pieribone, Vincent A.
Sparks, John S.
author_facet Gruber, David F.
Loew, Ellis R.
Deheyn, Dimitri D.
Akkaynak, Derya
Gaffney, Jean P.
Smith, W. Leo
Davis, Matthew P.
Stern, Jennifer H.
Pieribone, Vincent A.
Sparks, John S.
author_sort Gruber, David F.
collection PubMed
description Biofluorescence has recently been found to be widespread in marine fishes, including sharks. Catsharks, such as the Swell Shark (Cephaloscyllium ventriosum) from the eastern Pacific and the Chain Catshark (Scyliorhinus retifer) from the western Atlantic, are known to exhibit bright green fluorescence. We examined the spectral sensitivity and visual characteristics of these reclusive sharks, while also considering the fluorescent properties of their skin. Spectral absorbance of the photoreceptor cells in these sharks revealed the presence of a single visual pigment in each species. Cephaloscyllium ventriosum exhibited a maximum absorbance of 484 ± 3 nm and an absorbance range at half maximum (λ(1/2max)) of 440–540 nm, whereas for S. retifer maximum absorbance was 488 ± 3 nm with the same absorbance range. Using the photoreceptor properties derived here, a “shark eye” camera was designed and developed that yielded contrast information on areas where fluorescence is anatomically distributed on the shark, as seen from other sharks’ eyes of these two species. Phylogenetic investigations indicate that biofluorescence has evolved at least three times in cartilaginous fishes. The repeated evolution of biofluorescence in elasmobranchs, coupled with a visual adaptation to detect it; and evidence that biofluorescence creates greater luminosity contrast with the surrounding background, highlights the potential importance of biofluorescence in elasmobranch behavior and biology.
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spelling pubmed-48431652016-04-29 Biofluorescence in Catsharks (Scyliorhinidae): Fundamental Description and Relevance for Elasmobranch Visual Ecology Gruber, David F. Loew, Ellis R. Deheyn, Dimitri D. Akkaynak, Derya Gaffney, Jean P. Smith, W. Leo Davis, Matthew P. Stern, Jennifer H. Pieribone, Vincent A. Sparks, John S. Sci Rep Article Biofluorescence has recently been found to be widespread in marine fishes, including sharks. Catsharks, such as the Swell Shark (Cephaloscyllium ventriosum) from the eastern Pacific and the Chain Catshark (Scyliorhinus retifer) from the western Atlantic, are known to exhibit bright green fluorescence. We examined the spectral sensitivity and visual characteristics of these reclusive sharks, while also considering the fluorescent properties of their skin. Spectral absorbance of the photoreceptor cells in these sharks revealed the presence of a single visual pigment in each species. Cephaloscyllium ventriosum exhibited a maximum absorbance of 484 ± 3 nm and an absorbance range at half maximum (λ(1/2max)) of 440–540 nm, whereas for S. retifer maximum absorbance was 488 ± 3 nm with the same absorbance range. Using the photoreceptor properties derived here, a “shark eye” camera was designed and developed that yielded contrast information on areas where fluorescence is anatomically distributed on the shark, as seen from other sharks’ eyes of these two species. Phylogenetic investigations indicate that biofluorescence has evolved at least three times in cartilaginous fishes. The repeated evolution of biofluorescence in elasmobranchs, coupled with a visual adaptation to detect it; and evidence that biofluorescence creates greater luminosity contrast with the surrounding background, highlights the potential importance of biofluorescence in elasmobranch behavior and biology. Nature Publishing Group 2016-04-25 /pmc/articles/PMC4843165/ /pubmed/27109385 http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep24751 Text en Copyright © 2016, Macmillan Publishers Limited http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
spellingShingle Article
Gruber, David F.
Loew, Ellis R.
Deheyn, Dimitri D.
Akkaynak, Derya
Gaffney, Jean P.
Smith, W. Leo
Davis, Matthew P.
Stern, Jennifer H.
Pieribone, Vincent A.
Sparks, John S.
Biofluorescence in Catsharks (Scyliorhinidae): Fundamental Description and Relevance for Elasmobranch Visual Ecology
title Biofluorescence in Catsharks (Scyliorhinidae): Fundamental Description and Relevance for Elasmobranch Visual Ecology
title_full Biofluorescence in Catsharks (Scyliorhinidae): Fundamental Description and Relevance for Elasmobranch Visual Ecology
title_fullStr Biofluorescence in Catsharks (Scyliorhinidae): Fundamental Description and Relevance for Elasmobranch Visual Ecology
title_full_unstemmed Biofluorescence in Catsharks (Scyliorhinidae): Fundamental Description and Relevance for Elasmobranch Visual Ecology
title_short Biofluorescence in Catsharks (Scyliorhinidae): Fundamental Description and Relevance for Elasmobranch Visual Ecology
title_sort biofluorescence in catsharks (scyliorhinidae): fundamental description and relevance for elasmobranch visual ecology
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4843165/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27109385
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep24751
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