Scotopic and photopic vision in the California ground squirrel: physiological and anatomical evidence

The California ground squirrel is a highly diurnal species previously thought to have an all-cone retina. This issue was re-examined in physiological and anatomical experiments. The electroretinogram (ERG) was used to measure the spectral sensitivity of the eye under different conditions of adaptation. The occurrence of a Purkinje shift could be demonstrated, although there was some indication that not all members of this species show such a shift. Spectral sensitivity of the dark-adapted eye of this squirrel is close to that predicted by a typical mammalian rhodopsin. Light adaptation produces a shift in spectral sensitivity to a peak location of about 525 nm. It was shown that two mechanisms having different spectral sensitivities contribute to the photopically recorded ERG. The degree to which these two mechanisms contribute to the ERG was found to be strikingly different from the degree to which the two contribute to visual behavior. Our anatomical results indicate that the retina of the California ground squirrel has two structurally distinct photoreceptors which, on the basis of various criteria, can be classified as cone and rod-like. The rod-like receptors comprise about 6-7% of the total. The two photoreceptor types differ in placement of their inner segments, size of their outer segments, outer segment ultrastructure, and terminal structure and organization.