The evolution of the eyes of labrid fishes.

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Lars Schmitz
• Subject Area: Sensory and Behavioural Biology
• Term: from 2009 to 2012
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 144078328

I will study the evolution of eyes of labrid fishes. First, I will test if eyes are adapted to physical characteristics of the environments of the organism. Second, I will explore if the evolution of the optical system is coupled with the evolution of the retina. A functional de-coupling might overcome the trade-off between acuity and sensitivity, and may result in a complex retinal mosaic. The Labridae contain approximately 600 species with very different ecological specializations and are an excellent model group for studying morphological adaptations and evolution of diversity. Labrids feature species with different habitat depth and a diverse array of prey preferences, posing disparate visual demands to the organism. I ask if the ecological diversity displayed in this clade is recognizable in eye morphology. I propose two main hypotheses that I will test. 1) I hypothesize that the optical system of labrid fish shows adaptations to increase visual light sensitivity with increasing water depth of the habitat and 2) I hypothesize that the physiological visual acuity of labrid fishes is inversely related to prey size. I will test these hypotheses in a phylogenetic context by comparative analyses of ocular features that are closely correlated with visual performance. My results are expected to show whether functional de-coupling may be a factor explaining the diversity of retinal structures.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: Australia, USA
• Hosts: Professor Shaun P. Collin; Professor Peter Wainwright