Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Encyclopedia of Neuroscience pp 1466–1472Cite as

Evolution of the Visual System in Reptiles and Birds

  • Reference work entry

Definition

Reptiles and birds (sauropsids) depend heavily on the sense of vision to detect danger, find food, defend territory, and select a mate, and vision is of course essential for birds to fly in the air. Sauropsids have well-developed eyes, midbrains, and forebrains for visual processing. Among sauropsids, many avian species have excellent visual abilities, including color vision, visual acuity, motion perception, and visual memory.

Characteristics

Reptilian Eye

Features: As in other vertebrates including birds, the eyes of reptiles consist of an outer, fibrous and tough layer of sclera, a vascular layer called the choroid, and an inner, thin pigment epithelium that is applied to the outer surface of the neural retina. The choroid supplies oxygen and nutrition to the retina of many reptiles, but in lizards and to a lesser extent in snakes, an additional cone-shaped structure is present that supplements this function [1]. This structure is called the conus papillaris [2] and is...

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   2,499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD   2,499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Bellairs A (1970) The Life of Reptiles, vol. 2. Universe Books, New York

    Google Scholar 

  2. Braekevelt CR (1989) Fine structure of the conus papillaris in the bobtail goanna (Tiliqua rugosa). Histol Histopathol 4:287–293

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Nalbach HO, Wolf-Oberhollenzer F, Remy M (1993) Exploring the image. In: Zeigler HP, Bischof H-J (eds) Vision, brain and behavior in birds. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, pp 25–46

    Google Scholar 

  4. Waldvogel JA (1990) The bird’s eye view. Am Sci 78:342–353

    Google Scholar 

  5. Walls GL (1942) The vertebrate eye. Cranbrook Institute of Science, Bloomfield Hills, MI

    Google Scholar 

  6. Ulinski PS (1977) Tectal efferents in the banded water snake, Natrix sipedon. J Comp Neurol 173:251–274

    CrossRef  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Fite KV, Rosenfield-Wessels S (1975) A comparative study of deep avian foveas. Brain Behav Evol 12:97–115

    CrossRef  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Martin G, Rojas LM, Ramirez Y, McNeil R (2004) The eyes of oilbirds (Steatornis caripensis): pushing at the limits of sensitivity. Naturwissenschaften 91:26–29

    CrossRef  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Butler AB, Northcutt RG (1971) Retinal projections in Iguana iguana and Anolis carolinensis. Brain Res 26:1–13

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  10. Butler AB, Hodos W (2005) Comparative vertebrate neuroanatomy: evolution and adaptation. Wiley-Liss, Hoboken, NJ

    Google Scholar 

  11. Médina M, Repérant J, Ward R, Miceli D (2004) Centrifugal visual system of Crocodilus niloticus: a hodological, histochemical, and immunocytochemical study. J Comp Neurol 468:65–85

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Ulinski PS (1983) Dorsal ventricular ridge: a treatise on forebrain organization in reptiles and birds. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  13. Kenigfest N, Martínez-Marcos A, Belekhova M, Font C, Lanuza E, Desfilis E, Martínez-García F (1997) A lacertilian dorsal retinorecipient thalamus: a re-investigation in the old-world lizard Podarcis hispanica. Brain Behav Evol 50:313–334

    CrossRef  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Berson DM, Hartline PH (1988) A tecto-rotundo-telencephalic pathway in the rattlesnake: evidence for a forebrain representation of the infrared sense. J Neurosci 8:1,074–1,088

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Dacey DM, Ulinski PS (1983) Nucleus rotundus in a snake, Thamnophis sirtalis: an analysis of a nonretinotopic projection. J Comp Neurol 216:175–191

    CrossRef  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Repérant J, Miceli D, Rio JP, Weidner C (1987) The primary optic system in a microphthalmic snake (Calabaria reinhardti). Brain Res 408:233–238

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Repérant J, Peyrichoux J, Weidner C, Miceli D, Rio JP (1980) The centrifugal visual system in Vipera aspis. An experimental study using retrograde axonal transport of HRP and [3H] adenosine. Brain Res 183:435–441

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Northcutt RG, Butler AB (1974) Retinal projections in the northern water snake Natrix sipedon sipedon (L.). J Morphol 142:117–136

    CrossRef  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Güntürkün O (2000) Sensory physiology: vision. In: Whittow GC (ed) Sturkie’s avian physiology (5th edn). Academic Press, New York, pp 1–19

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  20. Shimizu T (2001) Evolution of the forebrain in tetrapods. In: Roth G, Wulliman, MF (eds) Brain evolution and cognition. Wiley/Spektrum, New York, pp 135–184

    Google Scholar 

  21. Uchiyama H (1989) Centrifugal pathways to the retina: influence of the optic tectum. Vis Neurosci 3:183–206

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Avian Brain Nomenclature Consortium: Jarvis ED, Güntürkün O, Bruce L, Csillag A, Karten H, Kuenzel W, Medina L, Paxinos G, Perkel DJ, Shimizu T, Striedter G, Wild JM, Ball GF, Dugas-Ford J, Durand SE, Hough GE, Husband S, Kubikova L, Lee DW, Mello CV, Powers A, Siang C, Smulders TV, Wada K, White SA, Yamamoto K, Yu J, Reiner A, Butler AB (2005) Avian brains and a new understanding of vertebrate brain evolution. Nat Rev Neurosci 6:151–159

    Google Scholar 

  23. Reiner A, Perkel DJ, Bruce LL, Butler AB, Csillag A, Kuenzel W, Medina L, Paxinos G, Shimizu T, Striedter G, Wild M, Ball GF, Durand S, Güntürkün O, Lee DW, Mello CV, Powers A, White SA, Hough G, Kubikova L, Smulders TV, Wada K, Dugas-Ford J, Husband S, Yamamoto K, Yu J, Siang C, and Jarvis ED (2004) Revised nomenclature for avian telencephalon and some related brainstem nuclei. J Comp Neurol 473:377–414

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Pettigrew JD, Konishi M (1976) Neurons selective for orientation and binocular disparity in the visual wulst of the barn owl (Tyto alba). Science 193:675–678

    CrossRef  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Hodos W (1993) Visual capabilities of birds. In: Zeigler HP, Bischof H-J (eds) Vision, brain and behavior in birds. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, pp 63–76

    Google Scholar 

  26. Goldsmith TH (2006) What birds see. Sci Am 295:68–75

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Bennett ATD, Cuthill IC, Partridge JC, Maier EJ (1996) Ultraviolet vision and mate choice in zebra finches. Nature 380:433–435

    CrossRef  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Gaffney MF, Hodos W (2003) The visual acuity and refractive state of the American kestrel (Falco sparverius). Vis Res 43:2,053–2,059

    Google Scholar 

  29. Hodos W, Miller RF, Fite KV, Porciatti V, Holden AL, Lee JY, Djamgoz MBA (1991) Life-span changes in the visual acuity and retina in birds. In: Bagnoli P, Hodos W (eds) The changing visual system. Plenum Press, New York, pp 137–148

    Google Scholar 

  30. Hodos W, Potocki A, Ghim MM, Gaffney M (2003) Temporal modulation of spatial contrast vision in pigeons (Columba livia). Vis Res 43:761–767.

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Cook RG (2001) Avian Visual Cognition. [Online] http://www.pigeon.psy.tufts.edu/avc/

  32. Pepperberg IM (1999) The alex studies: cognitive and communicative abilities of grey parrots. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA

    Toru Shimizu, Tadd B. Patton & Gabrielle Szafranski

  2. Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA

    Ann B. Butler

Authors
  1. Toru Shimizu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tadd B. Patton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Gabrielle Szafranski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Ann B. Butler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA

    Marc D. Binder

  2. Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Graduate School of Medicine University of Tokyo Hongo, Bunkyo‐ku, Tokyo, Japan

    Nobutaka Hirokawa

  3. Göttingen, Germany

    Uwe Windhorst

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

Copyright information

© 2009 Springer-Verlag GmbH Berlin Heidelberg

About this entry

Cite this entry

Shimizu, T., Patton, T.B., Szafranski, G., Butler, A.B. (2009). Evolution of the Visual System in Reptiles and Birds. In: Binder, M.D., Hirokawa, N., Windhorst, U. (eds) Encyclopedia of Neuroscience. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-29678-2_3179

Download citation

search

Navigation