Main Page
About Science
Faculty Deanship
Letter of Dean
Overview of Deanship
Vice Deans
Vice Dean
Letter of Vice-dean
Overview of Vice-deanship
Vice Dean for Graduate Studies
Letter of Vice Dean for Graduate Studies
Overview of Vice Dean of Postgraduate Studies
Research and Innovation Unit
Vice Dean for Girls Campus
Faculty Management
Letter of Managing Director-Boys Campus
Letter of Managing Director-Girls Campus
Overview of Management
Educational Affairs
Males Campus
Staff
Females Campus
Contact Us
Research
عربي
English
About
Admission
Academic
Research and Innovations
University Life
E-Services
Search
Faculty of Sciences
Document Details
Document Type
:
Article In Journal
Document Title
:
Compound Eye Adaptations for Diurnal and Nocturnal Lifestyle in the Intertidal Ant, Polyrhachis sokolova
Compound Eye Adaptations for Diurnal and Nocturnal Lifestyle in the Intertidal Ant, Polyrhachis sokolova
Document Language
:
English
Abstract
:
The Australian intertidal ant, Polyrhachis sokolova lives in mudflat habitats and nests at the base of mangroves. They are solitary foraging ants that rely on visual cues. The ants are active during low tides at both day and night and thus experience a wide range of light intensities. We here ask the extent to which the compound eyes of P. sokolova reflect the fact that they operate during both day and night. The ants have typical apposition compound eyes with 596 ommatidia per eye and an interommatidial angle of 6.0 degrees. We find the ants have developed large lenses (33 mu m in diameter) and wide rhabdoms (5 mu m in diameter) to make their eyes highly sensitive to low light conditions. To be active at bright light conditions, the ants have developed an extreme pupillary mechanism during which the primary pigment cells constrict the crystalline cone to form a narrow tract of 0.5 mu m wide and 16 mu m long. This pupillary mechanism protects the photoreceptors from bright light, making the eyes less sensitive during the day. The dorsal rim area of their compound eye has specialised photoreceptors that could aid in detecting the orientation of the pattern of polarised skylight, which would assist the animals to determine compass directions required while navigating between nest and food sources.
ISSN
:
1932-6203
Journal Name
:
PLOS ONE
Volume
:
8
Issue Number
:
10
Publishing Year
:
1434 AH
2013 AD
Article Type
:
Article
Added Date
:
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Researchers
Researcher Name (Arabic)
Researcher Name (English)
Researcher Type
Dr Grade
Email
Ajay Narendra
Narendra, Ajay
Researcher
Ali Alkaladi
Alkaladi, Ali
Researcher
Chloe Raderschall
Raderschall, Chloe
Researcher
Simon Robson
Robson, Simon
Researcher
Willi Ribi
Ribi, Willi
Researcher
Files
File Name
Type
Description
42239.pdf
pdf
Back To Researches Page