ISSN:
1615-6102
Keywords:
Electron microscopy
;
Photoreceptor
;
Visual membrane
;
Photic radiation damage
;
Retina
;
Crustacea
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Summary Visual membranes of the crayfish eye either belong to the small, distally placed rhabdomere of retinula cell R8 or are part of the much more voluminous proximal rhabdom, made up of rhabdomeres belonging to cells R1–R7. Under various conditions of environmental stress (e.g., prolonged darkness, elevated temperature, bright light with and without a concomitant rise in temperature, flickering lights) the visual membranes of R8 prove far more resistant to structural damage than those of R1–R7. Membrane damage is known to occur when dormant lipoxygenases become activated, for example through heat. Since R8 is the only type of visual cell in the crayfish retina that does not contain grains of screening pigment, the view that screening-pigment granules could “aggravate” or even “trigger” membrane damage in times of stress is strengthened. Functionally, R8's strong resistance to physical damage when exposed to flickering lights points to a role of the distal rhabdom in the movement detection system of the crayfish eye.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01276855
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