Ecological aspects of vertebrate visual ontogeny

Abstract

The life history of many species is comprised of several stages characterized by distinct anatomical, physiological, behavioral and ecological adaptations. Through evolution, some animals have come to select different habitats for each of the stages of their life history. This is because some environments provide conditions favorable to early growth and development, but may be limiting for the juvenile and adult stages. To take advantage of conditions more favorable to the later stages of their life history, animals often move to another environment, at some point in their ontogeny. Movement from one habitat to another, while providing benefits to the animal, also subjects it to new environmental conditions, some of which may affect the visual system’s performance. Through ontogenetic adaptation processes, the visual system of such species is modified, presumably to increase its efficiency in each of the new environments it encounters. Adaptive Mechanisms in the Ecology of Vision Adaptive Mechanisms in the Ecology of Vision Look Inside Other actions Reprints and Permissions Export citation About this Book Add to Papers Share Share this content on Facebook Share this content on Twitter Share this content on LinkedIn