L10: Photoreception

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary related to animal eye types and the mechanisms of photoreception, based on the lecture notes.

Platyhelminthes

A phylum of flatworms, meaning flat plate worm.

Camera eye

An eye that focuses light through a lens, typically found in vertebrates.

Compound eye

An eye composed of multiple lenses, common in arthropods and some mollusks.

Photoreceptor

A sensory cell that responds to light stimulus; includes rods and cones.

Acuity

The ability to focus and distinguish fine details in an image.

Convergent evolution

The independent evolution of similar traits in different species due to similar environments or functions.

Rhabdomeric photoreceptors

Type of photoreceptor found in invertebrates consisting of stacked discs with G protein coupled receptors.

Ciliary photoreceptors

Photoreceptors found in vertebrates characterized by their rod and cone shapes.

Transducin

The G protein associated with inhibitory responses in vertebrate photoreceptors.

Fovea

The region in the retina with the highest density of cones, responsible for sharp central vision.