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The Vertebrate Eye and its Adaptive Radiation by Gordon Lynn Walls

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	Gordon Lynn Walls Gordon Walls was something of a renaissance man of 20th century vision science. Initially trained as an engineer, he took a masters degree in zoology, was an accomplished histologist and illustrator and taught visual physiology at Berkeley. Quite early in his career he wrote The Vertebrate Eye and its Adaptive Radiation. Not only is this still the most comprehensive review of comparative anatomy of the eye, but it also lays out the problems, constraints and environmental factors that a visual system must evolve to meet.
Table of Contents\| Gordon Lynn Walls The Vertebrate Eye and its Adaptive Radiation by Gordon Lynn Walls Quite early in his career, Gordon Lynn Walls wrote The Vertebrate Eye and its Adaptive Radiation. Not only is still the most comprehensive review of comparative anatomy of the eye but it also lays out the problems, constraints and environmental factors that a visual system must evolve to meet. Cambridge Research Systems' in-house library includes a copy of this classic text. The book has nearly 800 pages (Walls himself wrote "My conscience will be easier if most of my readers are glad that the book was not smaller") so we're just listing the table of contents here to give you an idea of what's included. If you're interested in getting a copy of some of the chapters, let us know, and we can copy them for you. The Vertebrate Eye - Summary of Table of Contents Part I-Basic 1. LIGHT AND ITS PERCEPTION 2. A TYPICAL VERTEBRATE EYE: THE HUMAN 3. THE VERTEBRATE RETINA 4. THE VISUAL PROCESS 5. THE GENESIS OF THE VERTEBRATE EYE 6. ELEMENTS OF VERTEBRATE PHYLOGENY Part II-Ecologic 7. ADAPTATIONS TO ARHYTHMIC ACTIVITY 8. ADAPTATIONS TO DIURNAL ACTIVITY 9. ADAPTATIONS TO NOCTURNAL ACTIVITY 10. ADAPTATIONS TO SPACE AND MOTION 11. ADAPTATIONS TO MEDIA AND SUBSTRATES 12. ADAPTATIONS TO PHOTIC QUALITY Part III-Synoptic 13. CYCLOSTOMES 14. HIGHER FISHES 15. AMPHIBIANS 16. REPTILES 17. BIRDS 18. MAMMALS The vertebrate Eye - Full Table of Contents Part I-Basic 1. LIGHT AND ITS PERCEPTION 2. A TYPICAL VERTEBRATE EYE: THE HUMAN A. STRUCTURES AND THEIR FUNCTIONS The Eye a 'Camera' The Fibrous Tunic The Intra-Ocular Fluids The Uveal Tract The Pupil The Lens and Zonule B. OPTICS AND ACCOMMODATION Refraction Action of a Convex Lens Refractive Errors of the Eye Dioptrics of the Normal Eye Accommodation C. THE OCULAR ADNEXA The Oculomotor Muscles The Lids The Lacrimal System 3. THE VERTEBRATE RETINA A. HISTOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY The Pigment Epithelium The Visual-Cell Layer The Bipolar Layer The Ganglion Layer Muller Fibers Neuroglia Horizontal and Amacrine CelIs Nutrition of the Retina The Optic Nerve B. TYPES OF VISUAL CELLS General Types-Rods versus Cones Single Cones Rods Homology of Rods and Cones Green Rods Double Cones Twin Cones Ophidian Double Cones Double Rods C. THE DUPLICITY THEORY History Sensitivity versus Acuity Retinal Factors in Acuity Retinal Factors in Sensitivity Evidence for Duplicity of Vision 4. THE VISUAL PROCESS A. SCOTOPIC VISION. Rhodopsin Dark Adaptation Rod Vision B. PHOTOPIC VISION Cone Vision Color Saturation Brightnessand the Purkinje Phenomenon Trichromatic Vision Central Events in Trichromatic Vision ColorBlindness Photochemistry of Color Vision 5. THE GENESIS OF THE VERTEBRATE EYE A. EMBRYOLOGICAL Formation of the Optic Cup Differentiation of theRetina The Lens The Hyaloid Circulation The Vitreous The Vascular and FibrousTunics Lids and Glands Variations in Non-Mammals B. EVOLUTIONARY The Eye a 'Part of the Brain' Early Theories Balfour's Theory The Placode Theory Boveri's Theory Studnicka's Theory Origin ofthe Retina Origin of the Lens 6. ELEMENTS OF VERTEBRATE PHYLOGENY ^ Back to Top Part II-Ecologic 7. ADAPTATIONS TO ARHYTHMIC ACTIVITY A. THE TWENTY-FOUR-HOUR HABIT AND THE EYE B. RETINAL PHOTOMECHANICAL CHANGES Pigment Migration Visual-Cell Movements Significance and Distribution Immediate Causation C. PUPIL MOBILITY Functions of the Pupil Pupillary versus Retinal Adaptation Comparative Survey of the Two Methods D. DUPLICITY AND TRANSMUTATION 8. ADAPTATIONS TO DIURNAL ACTIVITY A. DIURNALlTY AND THE EYE Diurnality and Sharp Vision Diurnality, Acuity,and Food The Eye as a Whole B. THE DIURNAL RETINA Cone:Rod and Receptor:Conductor Ratios Minimization of the Physiological Scotoma C. AREAE CENTRALES AND FOVEAE The Area Centralis The Fovea Distribution D. INTRA-OCULAR COLOR-FILTERS Types and Distribution The Color-Vision Theory Yellow Filters and Chromatic Aberration Other Values Red Filters and the Rayleigh Effect Value of Red Oil-Droplets in Birds Value of Red Oil-Droplets in Turtles Phylogeny and Chemistry of the Intra-Ocular Filters 9. ADAPTATIONS TO NOCTURNAL ACTIVITY A. NOCTURNALITY AND THE EYE Nocturnality and Crude Vision Advantages and Limitations Lightless Habitats and their Conquest The Eye as a Whole 'Tubular' Eyes Spherical Lenses Broad Cornea B. THE NOCTURNAL RETINA Rod:Cone Ratios Pure-Rod Animals Summation C. THE SLIT PUPIL Value of the Slit Form Distribution and Meanings of Pupil Shapes D. THE TAPETUM LUCIDUM Value and Basis of Eyeshine The Tapetum Fibrosum The Tapetum Cellulosum Guanin andthe Argentea Guanin in Retinal Tapeta Other Retinal Tapeta Guanin in Chorioidal Tapeta Phylogeny and Relative Efliciency of Tapeta The Tapetum and Visual Acuity ^ Back to Top 10. ADAPTATIONS TO SPACE AND MOTION A. ACCOMMODATION AND ITS SUBSTITUTES Dependence of Apparent Distance upon Size The Why of Accommodation Devices Which Make Accommodation Unnecessary Vertebrate Methods of Accommodation Lampreys Elasmobranchs Teleosts Other Fishes Matthiessen's Ratio Optical Elimination of the Cornea Consequences of Lens Movement Amphibians Role of the Vitreous in Ichthyopsidan Accommodation Sauropsidan Muscles of Accommodation Scleral Ossicles in Sauropsida Accommodation in Sauropsida (Except Snakes) Special Features in Birds and Lizards Snakes Mammals B. VISUAL ANGLES AND FIELDS Visual Angles Position of the Eyes in the Head Extent of the Binocular Field Devices for Enlarging the Binocular Field C. EYE MOVEMENTS AND THE FOVEA Kinds of Eye Movements Fishes Amphibians Reptiles Birds, and the Visual Trident Mammals D. DEPTH- AND SOLIDITY-PERCEPTION Clues to Depth and Distance Stereopsis in Man The Optic Chiasma in Man and Other Vertebrates Supposed Value of Partial Decussation The Case for Singleness in Animals The Evolution of Binocular Vision The Nature and Basis of Fusion The Strange Fate of the Median Eyes Substitutes for Binocular Stereopsis E. MOVEMENT-PERCEPTION Detection versus Saliency Grades of Movement The Relativity of Movement-Perception MotorFactors in Movement-Detection Sensory Factors inMovement-Detection Adaptation, and Center versus Periphery Stroboscopic Movement versus Real Movement Stroboscopic Vision in Animals Menner's Theory of the Pecten Multiple Optic Papillae 11. ADAPTATIONS TO MEDIA AND SUBSTRATES A. AQUATIC VISION Definition Effect of Water upon the Plan of theEye Origin of Intra-Ocular Fluids Effects of Water upon Light Looking Through the Surface Streamlining of the Eyeball 'Adipose Lids' Bottom Fishes Cave Fishes Parasitic Fishes Deep-Sea Fishes Deep-Sea Larval Eyes The Common Eel Aquatic Amphibia Sirenians Whales Adaptation to Water Pressure? B. AERIAL VISION Changes in Dioptrics New Extra-Ocular Structures Adnexa in Amphibia The Third Lid and the Fate of the Retractor Adnexa in Sphenodon Crocodilians Turtles Lizards Snakes Birds Mammals Inter-Relations of Globe and Adnexa Peculiar Status of the Elasmo-branchs C. AIR-AND-WATER VISION The Main Problem Amphibious Vision in Teleosts Amphibians and Crocodilians Turtles Amphibious Squamates Amphibious Birds Amphibious Mammals D. THE SPECTACLE Injurious Substrates Types of Spectacles Primary Spectacles and the History of the Cornea and Conjunctiva Secondary Spectacles Tertiary Spectacles in Reptiles Tertiary Spectacles in Fishes 12. ADAPTATIONS TO PHOTIC QUALITY A. COLOR VISION IN ANIMALS The Limits of the Spectrum Value and Origin of Color Vision Evidence for Color Vision A Sample Ideal Procedure for Investigation Fishes Amphibians Reptiles Birds Mammals Phylogeny of Color Vision Locus of Color Vision B. DERMAL COLOR-CHANGES Modes of Color Change 'Physiological' and 'Morphological' Chromatophoral Changes Control Through the Eye Physiological Color Changes in Teleosts Mode of Control in Teleosts Response to Albedo Morphological Color Changes in Teleosts Color Changes in Amphibians Dermal Changesin Lower Fishes, and 'Diurnal Rhythms' Color Changes in Reptiles C. COLORATION OF THE EYE Basis of Iris Colors Possible Significance Conspicuousness of the Eye Concealment of the Eye Concealment of the Pupil? Sexual and Temporal Differences ^ Back to Top Part III-Synoptic 13. CYCLOSTOMES A. LAMPREYS The Eye as a Whole The Retina B. HAGS 14. HIGHER FISHES A. ELASMOBRANCHS The Eye as a Whole The Retina B. CHONDROSTEANS The Eye as a Whole The Retina C. HOLOSTEANS AND TELEOSTS Holosteans The Holostean Retina Teleosts The Teleost Retina D. CLADISTIANS AND DIPNOANS Cladistians Dipnoans Dipnoan Retina 15. AMPHIBIANS A. ANURANS The Eye as a Whole The Retina B. EURODELES The Eye as a Whole The Retina Comparison with Fishes C. CAECILIANS 16. REPTILES A. CHELONIANS The Eye as a Whole The Retina B. CROCODILIANS The Eye as a Whole The Retina C. SPHENODON The Eye as a Whole The Retina D. SQUAMATES Lizards The Lacertilian Retina Snakes The History of the Snake Eye The Ophidian Retina 17. BIRDS The Eye as a Whole The Pecten, and its Analogues in Other Vertebrates The Retina 18. MAMMALS A. MONOTREMES AND MARSUPIALS The Monotreme Eye The Monotreme Retina The Marsupial Eye The Marsupial Retina B. PLACENTALS The Eye as a Whole The Retina The Early History of the Placentalian Eye BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX AND GLOSSARY

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