You are here

Visual spectral sensitivity of loggerhead (Caretta caretta L.) and leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea L.) hatchlings: A comparative study

Download pdf | Full Screen View

Date Issued:
2003
Summary:
In the ocean, lighting varies with habitat; the eye's spectral sensitivity must vary with visual ecology. Green turtles are the only sea turtle whose spectral sensitivity has been studied. Loggerheads and leatherbacks see visible light between 340 and 700 nm. However, the wavelengths detected with the greatest sensitivity by both species are those best transmitted at the specific depths where food, mates and predators are likely to be encountered. Both species have trichromatic vision, but the species differ in the concentration and peak sensitivity of each visual pigment resulting in either a broadly tuned (loggerhead) or finely tuned (leatherback) spectral sensitivity. Spectral sensitivity of leatherbacks overlaps both bioluminescence of prey, and light available in clear, deep, oceanic waters.
Title: Visual spectral sensitivity of loggerhead (Caretta caretta L.) and leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea L.) hatchlings: A comparative study.
104 views
26 downloads
Name(s): Gocke, Judith P.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree Grantor
Salmon, Michael, Thesis Advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 2003
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 47 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: In the ocean, lighting varies with habitat; the eye's spectral sensitivity must vary with visual ecology. Green turtles are the only sea turtle whose spectral sensitivity has been studied. Loggerheads and leatherbacks see visible light between 340 and 700 nm. However, the wavelengths detected with the greatest sensitivity by both species are those best transmitted at the specific depths where food, mates and predators are likely to be encountered. Both species have trichromatic vision, but the species differ in the concentration and peak sensitivity of each visual pigment resulting in either a broadly tuned (loggerhead) or finely tuned (leatherback) spectral sensitivity. Spectral sensitivity of leatherbacks overlaps both bioluminescence of prey, and light available in clear, deep, oceanic waters.
Identifier: 9780496198788 (isbn), 13029 (digitool), FADT13029 (IID), fau:9894 (fedora)
Note(s): Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2003.
Subject(s): Loggerhead turtle
Leatherback turtle
Spectral sensitivity
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13029
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.