Testing Mechanisms of Vision: Sea Urchin Spine Density Does Not Correlate with Vision-Related Environmental Characteristics

Abstract

Synopsis Sea urchins do not have eyes, yet they are capable of resolving simple images. One suggestion as to the mechanism of this capability is that the spines shade off-axis light from reaching the photosensitive test (skeleton). Following this hypothesis, the density of spines across the body determines the resolution (or sharpness) of vision by restricting the incidence of light on the photosensitive skin of the animal, creating receptive areas of different minimum resolvable angles. Previous studies have shown that predicted resolutions in several species closely match behaviorally determined resolutions, ranging from 10° to 33°. Here, we present a comparative morphological survey of spine density with species representatives from 22 of the 24 families of regular sea urchins (Class Echinoidea) in order to better understand the relative influences of phylogenetic history and three visually relevant environmental variables on this trait. We estimated predicted resolutions by calculating spine densities from photographs of spineless sea urchin tests (skeletons). Analyses showed a strong phylogenetic signal in spine density differences between species. Phylogenetically-corrected Generalized Least Squares models incorporating all habitat parameters were the most supported, and no particular parameter was significantly correlated with spine density. Spine density is subject to multiple, overlapping selective pressures and therefore it is possible that either (1) spine density does not mediate spatial vision in echinoids, or (2) visual resolution via spine density is a downstream consequence of sea urchin morphology rather than a driving force of adaptation in these animals.