What is the primary function of the tapetum lucidum within the coelacanth eye structure?
Answer
To bounce light back through the retina for a second pass
The tapetum lucidum acts like a mirror behind the retina to bounce light that has passed through the light-sensitive cells back through them a second time, maximizing light capture.
Related Questions
What specialized structure is found behind the coelacanth retina to maximize light capture in dim environments?Which sense do published research suggest the coelacanth relies on more heavily than sight for moment-to-moment survival in the deep sea?Coelacanths are inhabitants of the deep, residing near the bottom of the continental shelves and slopes, often at depths between which range?What is the primary consequence when coelacanths are exposed to brighter conditions, such as being brought to the surface?In what year was the coelacanth rediscovered after being thought extinct for 66 million years?The features of the coelacanth eye offer a glimpse into the vision capabilities of fishes from which ancient geological period?What anatomical feature allows coelacanths to detect the faint electrical fields generated by other organisms?What is the primary function of the tapetum lucidum within the coelacanth eye structure?Why might coelacanths have retained moderately large eyes rather than evolving the upward-facing tubular eyes seen in some other deep-sea species?At a depth of 200 meters, how is the light level and spectrum described compared to the surface?