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Ecomorphology of eye shape and retinal topography in waterfowl (Aves: Anseriformes: Anatidae) with different foraging modes

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Abstract

Despite the large body of literature on ecomorphological adaptations to foraging in waterfowl, little attention has been paid to their sensory systems, especially vision. Here, we compare eye shape and retinal topography across 12 species representing 4 different foraging modes. Eye shape was significantly different among foraging modes, with diving and pursuit-diving species having relatively smaller corneal diameters compared to non-diving species. This may be associated with differences in ambient light intensity while foraging or an ability to tightly constrict the pupil in divers in order to facilitate underwater vision. Retinal topography was similar across all species, consisting of an oblique visual streak, a central area of peak cell density, and no discernible fovea. Because the bill faces downwards when the head is held in the normal posture in waterfowl, the visual streak will be held horizontally, allowing the horizon to be sampled with higher visual acuity. Estimates of spatial resolving power were similar among species with only the Canada goose having a higher spatial resolution. Overall, we found no evidence of ecomorphological adaptations to different foraging modes in the retinal ganglion cell layer in waterfowl. Rather, retinal topography in these birds seems to reflect the ‘openness’ of their habitats.

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Abbreviations

A:

Axial length

asf:

Area-sampling fraction

C:

Mean corneal diameter

CE:

Coefficient of error

NA:

Numerical aperture

PND:

Posterior nodal distance

PrV:

Principal sensory nucleus of the trigeminal nerve

RGC:

Retinal ganglion cell

SRP:

Spatial resolving power

T:

Mean transverse eye diameter

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Acknowledgments

All of our methods adhered to Canadian Council for Animal Care Guidelines and were approved by the University of Lethbridge Animal Welfare Committee. We wish to thank George Iwaniuk, Greg Sanbourn, Udo Hannebaum and the curatorial staff of the Division of Birds for providing specimens for this study. Gerald Romanchuk kindly allowed us to use his photograph of a redhead. Heather Lisney and Vincent and Angela Galipeau provided essential support during the preparation of the paper. Funding was provided by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) Discovery Grants and Discovery Accelerator Supplements to ANI and DRW.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada

    Thomas J. Lisney, Karyn Stecyk & Douglas R. Wylie

  2. Centre for Neuroscience, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada

    Jeffrey Kolominsky & Douglas R. Wylie

  3. Division of Birds, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, PO Box 30712, Washington, DC, 20013-7012, USA

    Brian K. Schmidt

  4. Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada

    Jeremy R. Corfield & Andrew N. Iwaniuk

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  1. Thomas J. Lisney
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Correspondence to Thomas J. Lisney.

Appendix

Appendix

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Table 5 List of specimens from the Division of Birds collection at the National Museum of Natural History (Washington, DC, USA) used in this study
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Lisney, T.J., Stecyk, K., Kolominsky, J. et al. Ecomorphology of eye shape and retinal topography in waterfowl (Aves: Anseriformes: Anatidae) with different foraging modes. J Comp Physiol A 199, 385–402 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-013-0802-1

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