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Relationship: 2377
Title
Decreased, Eye size leads to Altered, Visual function
Upstream event
Downstream event
Key Event Relationship Overview
AOPs Referencing Relationship
AOP Name | Adjacency | Weight of Evidence | Quantitative Understanding | Point of Contact | Author Status | OECD Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Inhibition of Fyna leading to increased mortality via decreased eye size (Microphthalmos) | adjacent | Brendan Ferreri-Hanberry (send email) | Open for citation & comment | |||
Thyroperoxidase inhibition leading to altered visual function via decreased eye size | adjacent | Evgeniia Kazymova (send email) | Under development: Not open for comment. Do not cite | Under Development |
Taxonomic Applicability
Term | Scientific Term | Evidence | Link |
---|---|---|---|
zebrafish | Danio rerio | NCBI |
Sex Applicability
Life Stage Applicability
Key Event Relationship Description
The link between eye size on the lifestyle of organisms (aquatic and/or terrestrial) is now proven by numerous studies. Therefore, the shape and size of the eyes is also related to the visual capacity of organisms.
Evidence Collection Strategy
Evidence Supporting this KER
Biological Plausibility
Increasing the size of the whole eye can increase resolution or sensitivity without having to decrease the other and inversely (Caves et al, 2017).
Eye size, and in particular the eye to body ratio, gives a lot of information about the quality of vision of the individual but also about its lifestyle, e.g : nocturnal or diurnal species (Kirk, 2006). Previous studies of eye design suggest a common organizing principle about how the activity pattern is reflected in the size and shape of the eyes (Hall, 2008).
Empirical Evidence
Baumann et al., 2016 used propylthiouracil (PTU) and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) to disrupt the thyroid hormone system in zebrafish larvae. The exposure caused a reduction of eye size and a decrease in optokinetic response and increase in light preference of exposed larvae.
Crowley-Perry et al. (2021) showed that transient, developmental exposure to sublethal and environmentally relevant concentrations of bisphenol A (BPA) alters larval eye morphology and visually guided behaviors. BPA exposure increased eye diameters and the number of larvae displaying a positive optomotor response (OMR).
Heijlen et al. (2014) showed that knockdown of Type 3 Iodothyronine Deiodinase reduced eye size in zebrafish embryos. Furthermore, D3-knockdown larvae spent significantly less time moving, and both embryos and larvae exhibited perturbed escape responses.
Uncertainties and Inconsistencies
Probably, the eye size is not the only determinizing factor for visual function. General morphology and structure appear to be essential.
Known modulating factors
Quantitative Understanding of the Linkage
Response-response Relationship
Time-scale
Known Feedforward/Feedback loops influencing this KER
Some studies highlight the strong roles of body size and brain size on the visual acuity (Corral-López et al., 2017). Beyond eye size, increasing evidence suggests that visual acuity in vertebrates is driven by retinal ganglion cell (RGC) density or receptive field size, rather than photoreceptor density, since RGCs process visual information further in the processing pathway than do photoreceptors
Domain of Applicability
Links between eyes size and visual function can be applicable to a wide range of species including mammal, amphibian, fish and human. Effect or form of this relationship change according to the environment and species.
Life stage can also strongly influence this relationship. For example, recovery phases after early developmental exposure can decrease or reverse the effect (Baumann et al., 2019)
Sex seems have no influence on this relationship.
References
Baumann, L., Ros, A., Rehberger, K., Neuhauss, S. C. F., & Segner, H. (2016). Thyroid disruption in zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae: Different molecular response patterns lead to impaired eye development and visual functions. Aquatic Toxicology, 172, 44–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquatox.2015.12.015
Baumann, L., Segner, H., Ros, A., Knapen, D., & Vergauwen, L. (2019). Thyroid Hormone Disruptors Interfere with Molecular Pathways of Eye Development and Function in Zebrafish. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 20(7), 1543. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20071543
Corral-López, A., Garate-Olaizola, M., Buechel, S. D., Kolm, N., & Kotrschal, A. (2017). On the role of body size, brain size, and eye size in visual acuity. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 71(12). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-017-2408-z
Hall, M. I. (2008). Comparative analysis of the size and shape of the lizard eye. Zoology, 111(1), 62–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.zool.2007.04.003