Photopigments are molecules that react to light and mediate a number of processes and behaviours in animals. Visual pigments housed within the photoreceptors of the eye, such as the rods and cones in vertebrates are the best known, however, visual pigments are increasingly being found in other tissues, including other retinal cells, the skin and the brain. Other closely related molecules from the G protein family, such as melanopsin mediate light driven processes including circadian rhythmicity and pupil constriction. This Volume examines the enormous diversity of visual pigments and traces the evolution of these G protein coupled receptors in both invertebrates and vertebrates in the context of the visual and non-visual demands dictated by a species' ecological niche.

Our understanding of human color vision has advanced tremendously in recent years, helped along by many new discoveries, ideas, and achievements. It is therefore timely that these new developments are brought together in a book, assembled specifically to include new research and insight from the leaders in the field. Although intentionally not exhaustive, many aspects of color vision are discussed in this Springer Series in Vision Research book including: the genetics of the photopigments; the anatomy and physiology of photoreceptors, retinal and cortical pathways; color perception; the effects of disorders; theories on neuronal processes and the evolution of human color vision. Several of the chapters describe new, state-of-the-art methods within genetics, morphology, imaging techniques, electrophysiology, psychophysics, and computational neuroscience. The book gives a comprehensive overview of the different disciplines in human color vision in a way that makes it accessible to specialists and non-specialist scientists alike. About the Series: The Springer Series in Vision Research is a comprehensive update and overview of cutting edge vision research, exploring, in depth, current breakthroughs at a conceptual level. It details the whole visual system, from molecular processes to anatomy, physiology and behavior and covers both invertebrate and vertebrate organisms from terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Each book in the Series is aimed at all individuals with interests in vision including advanced graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, established vision scientists and clinical investigators. The series editors are N. Justin Marshall, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Australia and Shaun P. Collin, Neuroecology Group within the School of Animal Biology and the Oceans Institute at the University of Western Australia.

Research on sensory processing or the way animals see, hear, smell, taste, feel and electrically and magnetically sense their environment has advanced a great deal over the last fifteen years. This book discusses the most important themes that have emerged from recent research and provides a summary of likely future directions. The book starts with two sections on the detection of sensory signals over long and short ranges by aquatic animals, covering the topics of navigation, communication, and finding food and other localized sources. The next section, the co-evolution of signal and sense, deals with how animals decide whether the source is prey, predator or mate by utilizing receptors that have evolved to take full advantage of the acoustical properties of the signal. Organisms living in the deep-sea environment have also received a lot of recent attention, so the next section deals with visual adaptations to limited light environments where sunlight is replaced by bioluminescence and the visual system has undergone changes to optimize light capture and sensitivity. The last section on central co-ordination of sensory systems covers how signals are processed and filtered for use by the animal. This book will be essential reading for all researchers and graduate students interested in sensory systems.

Photopigments are molecules that react to light and mediate a number of processes and behaviours in animals. Visual pigments housed within the photoreceptors of the eye, such as the rods and cones in vertebrates are the best known, however, visual pigments are increasingly being found in other tissues, including other retinal cells, the skin and the brain. Other closely related molecules from the G protein family, such as melanopsin mediate light driven processes including circadian rhythmicity and pupil constriction. This Volume examines the enormous diversity of visual pigments and traces the evolution of these G protein coupled receptors in both invertebrates and vertebrates in the context of the visual and non-visual demands dictated by a species' ecological niche.

Our understanding of human color vision has advanced tremendously in recent years, helped along by many new discoveries, ideas, and achievements. It is therefore timely that these new developments are brought together in a book, assembled specifically to include new research and insight from the leaders in the field. Although intentionally not exhaustive, many aspects of color vision are discussed in this Springer Series in Vision Research book including: the genetics of the photopigments; the anatomy and physiology of photoreceptors, retinal and cortical pathways; color perception; the effects of disorders; theories on neuronal processes and the evolution of human color vision. Several of the chapters describe new, state-of-the-art methods within genetics, morphology, imaging techniques, electrophysiology, psychophysics, and computational neuroscience. The book gives a comprehensive overview of the different disciplines in human color vision in a way that makes it accessible to specialists and non-specialist scientists alike. About the Series: The Springer Series in Vision Research is a comprehensive update and overview of cutting edge vision research, exploring, in depth, current breakthroughs at a conceptual level. It details the whole visual system, from molecular processes to anatomy, physiology and behavior and covers both invertebrate and vertebrate organisms from terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Each book in the Series is aimed at all individuals with interests in vision including advanced graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, established vision scientists and clinical investigators. The series editors are N. Justin Marshall, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Australia and Shaun P. Collin, Neuroecology Group within the School of Animal Biology and the Oceans Institute at the University of Western Australia.