C. elegans discriminates colors to guide foraging
Name
Ghosh et al_C. elegans discriminates colors to guide foraging_main text_12.30.2020.pdf
Description
Accepted version
Size
258.86 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
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Author(s)
Ghosh, D. Dipon
Lee, Dongyeop
Jin, Xin
Horvitz, Howard Robert
Nitabach, Michael N.
Date Issued
March 2021
Journal
Science
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Citation
Ghosh, D. Dipon et al. "C. elegans discriminates colors to guide foraging." Science 371, 6533 (March 2021): 1059-1063. © 2021 The American Association for the Advancement of Science
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
Color detection is used by animals of diverse phyla to navigate colorful natural environments and is thought to require evolutionarily conserved opsin photoreceptor genes. We report that Caenorhabditis elegans roundworms can discriminate between colors despite the fact that they lack eyes and opsins. Specifically, we found that white light guides C. elegans foraging decisions away from a blue-pigment toxin secreted by harmful bacteria. These foraging decisions are guided by specific blue-to-amber ratios of light. The color specificity of color-dependent foraging varies notably among wild C. elegans strains, which indicates that color discrimination is ecologically important. We identified two evolutionarily conserved cellular stress response genes required for opsin-independent, color-dependent foraging by C. elegans, and we speculate that cellular stress response pathways can mediate spectral discrimination by photosensitive cells and organisms—even by those lacking opsins.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biology
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abd3010
