Behavioural Tests Reveal Severe Visual Deficits in the Strictly Subterranean African Mole-Rats (Bathyergidae) but Efficient Vision in the Fossorial Rodent Coruro (Spalacopus cyanus, Octodontidae)

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60076658%3A12310%2F16%3A43890711" target="_blank" >RIV/60076658:12310/16:43890711 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/00216208:11310/16:10325098

Result on the web

<a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/eth.12515/abstract;jsessionid=68F889DD90A58145BD2A6E865C555DBA.f04t02" target="_blank" >http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/eth.12515/abstract;jsessionid=68F889DD90A58145BD2A6E865C555DBA.f04t02</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/eth.12515" target="_blank" >10.1111/eth.12515</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Behavioural Tests Reveal Severe Visual Deficits in the Strictly Subterranean African Mole-Rats (Bathyergidae) but Efficient Vision in the Fossorial Rodent Coruro (Spalacopus cyanus, Octodontidae)

Original language description

Vision has long been considered purposeless in the dark underground ecotope. However, recent anatomical studies revealed an unexpected diversity of ocular and retinal features and various degrees of development of the visual system in mammals with predominantly subterranean activity, and have suggested retention of basic visual capabilities even in some strictly subterranean mammals such as the African mole-rats. Behavioural tests assessing image-forming vision have not yet been conducted in subterranean mammals. Here, we investigated the visual capacities in three species of the African mole-rats, namely the giant mole-rat Fukomys mechowii, the Mashona mole-rat Fukomys darlingi and the silvery mole-rat Heliophobius argenteocinereus, in the fossorial coruro Spalacopus cyanus and the inbred C57L/J mouse. The behavioural assays performed in this study revealed severe visual deficits in all three species of mole-rats. The absence of the visual placing reflex suggested impairment of either image-forming vision or visuomotor integration. The random choice between the shallow and the deep side of a visual cliff clearly demonstrated inability of molerats to perceive depth. The nesting assay did not yield conclusive evidence regarding the capacity for visually guided spatial orientation in the only tested species, the giant mole-rat. In contrast, both the coruro and the mouse exhibited a clear placing reaction and preferred the shallow side of the visual cliff, implying functional image-forming vision. Thus, the behavioural data gathered in this study show that vision is seriously compromised in the strictly subterranean, congenitally microphthalmic African mole-rats but efficient (i.e. comparable to that of surface-dwelling rodents) in a species with regular surface activity, the coruro.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_x - Unclassified - Peer-reviewed scientific article (Jimp, Jsc and Jost)

CEP classification

EG - Zoology

OECD FORD branch

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Project

<a href="/en/project/GAP506%2F11%2F1512" target="_blank" >GAP506/11/1512: Into the underground: Comparative study of rodents with different level of adaptation to subterranean life.</a><br>

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Publication year

2016

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Ethology

ISSN

0179-1613

e-ISSN

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Volume of the periodical

122

Issue of the periodical within the volume

8

Country of publishing house

US - UNITED STATES

Number of pages

13

Pages from-to

682-694

UT code for WoS article

000379614900007

EID of the result in the Scopus database

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