Are vent shrimps blinded by science?

The exploration of deep-sea hydrothermal vents has depended on the use of manned submersibles, which are invariably equipped with high-intensity floodlights. But the eyes of many deep-sea crustaceans, which are exquisitely adapted for the dim conditions at such depths, can suffer permanent retinal d...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature (London) 1999-03, Vol.398 (6723), p.116-116
Main Authors: Herring, Peter J, Gaten, Edward, Shelton, Peter M. J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bresiliidae
Chloroplasts
Crustaceans
Deep sea
Herbicides
Humanities and Social Sciences
Manned submersibles
Marine
Mirocaris fortunata
multidisciplinary
Polymorphism
Rimicaris exoculata
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
scientific-correspondence
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Summary:The exploration of deep-sea hydrothermal vents has depended on the use of manned submersibles, which are invariably equipped with high-intensity floodlights. But the eyes of many deep-sea crustaceans, which are exquisitely adapted for the dim conditions at such depths, can suffer permanent retinal damage as a result. We suggest that the use of floodlights has irretrievably damaged the eyes of many of the decapod shrimps (family Bresiliidae) that dominate the fauna at vents on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
ISSN:0028-0836
1476-4687
DOI:10.1038/18142