Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Accessory Structures of the Eye

Accessory Structures of the Eye

Optical perception, or vision, is an extraordinary sense dependent on converting light signals received via the ocular organs. These organs, known as eyes, are securely positioned within the bony cavities of the skull, called orbits. The orbits serve a dual purpose: a protective shield for the ocular globes and a stable attachment point for the soft ocular tissues. The eye's external protective mechanisms include the eyelids, which are edged with lashes that act as a barrier against foreign...

Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways

Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways

At the molecular level, visual signals trigger transformations in photopigment molecules, resulting in changes in the photoreceptor cell's membrane potential. The photon's energy level is denoted by its wavelength, with each specific wavelength of visible light associated with a distinct color. The spectral range of visible light, classified as electromagnetic radiation, spans from 380 to 720 nm. Electromagnetic radiation wavelengths exceeding 720 nm fall under the infrared category, whereas...

Anatomy of the Eyeball

Anatomy of the Eyeball

The eye is a spherical, hollow structure composed of three tissue layers. The outer layer — the fibrous tunic, comprises the sclera — a white structure — and the cornea, which is transparent. The sclera encompasses some of the ocular surface, most of which is not visible. However, the 'white of the eye' is distinctively visible in humans compared to other species. The cornea, a clear covering at the front of the eye, enables light penetration. The eye's middle layer, the vascular tunic,...

Vision

Vision

Vision is the result of light being detected and transduced into neural signals by the retina of the eye. This information is then further analyzed and interpreted by the brain. First, light enters the front of the eye and is focused by the cornea and lens onto the retina—a thin sheet of neural tissue lining the back of the eye. Because of refraction through the convex lens of the eye, images are projected onto the retina upside-down and reversed.

Photoreceptors and Plant Responses to Light

Photoreceptors and Plant Responses to Light

Light plays a significant role in regulating the growth and development of plants. In addition to providing energy for photosynthesis, light provides other important cues to regulate a range of developmental and physiological responses in plants.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Evolution of horn length and lifting strength in the Japanese rhinoceros beetle Trypoxylus dichotomus.

Current biology : CB·2023

Same author

Population differences in the strength of sexual selection match relative weapon size in the Japanese rhinoceros beetle, Trypoxylus dichotomus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)†.

Evolution; international journal of organic evolution·2020

Same author

Sexual selection contributes to partial restoration of phenotypic robustness in a butterfly.

Scientific reports·2018

Same author

Cracking the olfactory code of a butterfly: the scent of ageing.

Ecology letters·2012

Same author

Genotype to phenotype: physiological control of trait size and scaling in insects.

Integrative and comparative biology·2011

Same author

Evolution of sexual dimorphism in the Lepidoptera.

Annual review of entomology·2010

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Automated Charting of the Visual Space of Housefly Compound Eyes

Automated Charting of the Visual Space of Housefly Compound Eyes

Published on: March 31, 2022

The "eyespot module" and eyespots as modules: development, evolution, and integration of a complex phenotype.

Cerisse E Allen¹

¹Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.

Journal of Experimental Zoology. Part B, Molecular and Developmental Evolution

|July 17, 2007

Summary

Butterfly wing eyespots evolve independently, but development integrates them. This study reveals that developmental pathways can mask evolutionary divergence, challenging modularity assumptions in trait evolution.

More Related Videos

VisualEyes: A Modular Software System for Oculomotor Experimentation

VisualEyes: A Modular Software System for Oculomotor Experimentation

Published on: March 25, 2011

Live-imaging of the Drosophila Pupal Eye

Live-imaging of the Drosophila Pupal Eye

Published on: January 12, 2015

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Automated Charting of the Visual Space of Housefly Compound Eyes

Automated Charting of the Visual Space of Housefly Compound Eyes

Published on: March 31, 2022

VisualEyes: A Modular Software System for Oculomotor Experimentation

VisualEyes: A Modular Software System for Oculomotor Experimentation

Published on: March 25, 2011

Live-imaging of the Drosophila Pupal Eye

Live-imaging of the Drosophila Pupal Eye

Published on: January 12, 2015

Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Developmental biology
Ecology and behavioral biology

Background:

Organisms exhibit modularity, but traits also evolve for functional integration or specialization.
Serially repeated traits, like butterfly wing eyespots, are expected to become less integrated under selection for divergent functions.
Eyespots in Bicyclus anynana are morphologically repeated traits with shared development, subject to natural and sexual selection.

Purpose of the Study:

To test hypotheses on the organization of butterfly wing eyespot patterns into dorsal-ventral and anterior-posterior modules.
To investigate the relationship between developmental units, functional demands, and evolutionary modularity of eyespots.
To examine how selection and development interact to shape trait integration and variation.

Main Methods:

Graphical modeling was employed to analyze patterns of eyespot covariation.
Covariation was examined both among different wing surfaces and within individual wing surfaces.
The study focused on the butterfly species Bicyclus anynana.

Main Results:

A hierarchical and complex pattern of integration among eyespots was identified.
A significant mismatch was observed between the patterns of eyespot integration and previously identified developmental/evolutionary units.
Developmental integration appears to mask independent trait variation.

Conclusions:

The findings challenge simple models of modular evolution for serially repeated traits.
Developmental constraints can override or mask the effects of selection for functional specialization.
Understanding the interplay between developmental integration and functional divergence is crucial for evolutionary studies.