Evolution of Visual and Non-visual Pigments

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-viii

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2. The Evolution and Diversity of Pineal and Parapineal Photopigments

   • Emi Kawano-Yamashita, Mitsumasa Koyanagi, Akihisa Terakita

   Pages 1-21

3. The Evolution and Function of Melanopsin in Craniates

   • Wayne I. L. Davies, Russell G. Foster, Mark W. Hankins

   Pages 23-63

4. The Evolution of Non-visual Photopigments in the Central Nervous System of Vertebrates

   • Mark W. Hankins, Wayne I. L. Davies, Russell G. Foster

   Pages 65-103

5. The Evolution of Invertebrate Photopigments and Photoreceptors

   • Thomas W. Cronin, Megan L. Porter

   Pages 105-135

6. Insect Photopigments: Photoreceptor Spectral Sensitivities and Visual Adaptations

   • Kentaro Arikawa, Doekele G. Stavenga

   Pages 137-162

7. The Evolution of Photoreceptors and Visual Photopigments in Vertebrates

   • David M. Hunt, Shaun P. Collin

   Pages 163-217

8. Diversity and Functional Properties of Bistable Photopigments

   • Hisao Tsukamoto

   Pages 219-239

9. Visual Photopigment Evolution in Speciation

   • Karen L. Carleton

   Pages 241-267

10. Back Matter

    Pages 269-276

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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.

• Photopigments
• colour vision
• opsins
• visual ecology
• visual pigments

“This is a bible of current research into the photochemistry, photobiology, and evolution of the visual systems and the pineal gland in vertebrates and invertebrates. … The book will benefit graduate students, seasoned investigators, and vision scientists interested in photoreceptors.” (Joseph J. Grenier, Amazon.com, January, 2017)

• School of Animal Biology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia

  David M. Hunt, Shaun P Collin

• Department of Ophthalmology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

  Mark W. Hankins

• Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

  N. Justin Marshall

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