Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

A functional analysis of compound eye evolution.

Dan-E Nilsson1, Almut Kelber

  • 1Department of Cell and Organism Biology, Lund University, Zoology Building, Helgonavägen 3, 223 62 Lund, Sweden. dan-e.nilsson@cob.lu.se

Arthropod Structure & Development
|December 20, 2007
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Damselflies overcome color saturation barriers of photonic glasses via pigment loading and refractive index modulation.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

Nocturnality.

Current biology : CB·2026
Same author

Sensory biology in a changing world: multisensory systems and interdisciplinary collaboration.

The Journal of experimental biology·2026
Same author

The evolution of lepidopteran brain morphology.

Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology·2025
Same author

Influence of floral traits on visitation patterns in a miniature tropical stingless bee, Tetragonula iridipennis.

Die Naturwissenschaften·2025
Same author

Vertebrate vision: New light on the enigmatic double cone.

Current biology : CB·2025
Same journal

Caste polymorphism and distribution of sensilla in the social aphid Pseudoregma bambucicola (Takahashi, 1921).

Arthropod structure & development·2026
Same journal

Egg and early-instar morphology of Lymantria juglandis (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Lymantriinae): Insights into its functional implications.

Arthropod structure & development·2026
Same journal

Morphological study on the larvae of different instars of Bodilus gregarius (Coleoptera: Aphodiinae: Aphodiini).

Arthropod structure & development·2026
Same journal

From an apposition-like stage to a superposition eye: developmental assembly of the nocturnal visual system in the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella.

Arthropod structure & development·2026
Same journal

Ontogenetic and comparative morphology of the male fifth pereopod in Aegla (Crustacea, Anomura): implications for species differentiation.

Arthropod structure & development·2026
Same journal

The microstructure and ultrastructure of the midgut epithelial cells in Ducetia japonica (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae).

Arthropod structure & development·2026
See all related articles

The evolution of arthropod compound eyes likely occurred independently in different lineages. Early ancestors may have had crystalline cones and color vision, while others had corneal lenses and limited color perception.

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Arthropod morphology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Recent phylogenetic data offer insights into arthropod nervous and visual system evolution.
  • Understanding cell identities and developmental processes is crucial for evolutionary reconstruction.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To reconstruct the evolutionary history of arthropod compound eyes.
  • To analyze evolutionary routes based on functional arguments and visual performance.
  • To integrate findings with current phylogenetic hypotheses.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of compound eye ommatidial structures.
  • Evolutionary analysis incorporating functional and selective pressures.
  • Examination of focusing elements and receptor cell arrangements.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Compound eye evolution appears to have proceeded independently in at least two major lineages.
  • A common ancestor of insects and crustaceans likely possessed ommatidia with crystalline cones and color/polarization vision.
  • Myriapod and chelicerate compound eyes likely evolved from ancestors with corneal lenses and limited color/polarization discrimination.

Conclusions:

  • The evolution of compound eyes in arthropods is characterized by independent pathways.
  • Early visual systems varied significantly, with distinct focusing mechanisms and sensory capabilities.
  • Phylogenetic relationships support divergent evolutionary trajectories for visual systems across arthropod groups.