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Retinotopic representation of the bifoveate eye of the kestrel (Falco sparverius) on the optic tectum

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 June 2009

B. J. Frost ,
L. Z. Wise ,
B. Morgan  and
D. Bird
B. J. Frost
Affiliation:
Department of Psyschology, Queens's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada
L. Z. Wise
Affiliation:
Department of Psyschology, Queens's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada
B. Morgan
Affiliation:
Department of Psyschology, Queens's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada
D. Bird
Affiliation:
Department of Renewable Resource, Macdonald College, McGill University, Ste. Anne de Bellevue P.Q., Quebec H9X 1C0, Canada
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Abstract

Like many diurnal raptors, the American kestrel or sparrow hawk, Falco sparverius, possesses two foveae in each eye. In this study, we used fundus photography and reversed ophthalmoscopy to plot the projection of these foveae onto the visual field, together with other retinal landmarks such as the pecten and ora terminali. From such data, it was determined that the central monocular fovea (CMF) and temporal binocular fovea (TBF) were separated by 36 deg and that the kestrel has 58 deg of binocular overlap when the eyes are appropriately converged. Single-cell and multi-unit recordings were used to systematically explore the tectal surface and map receptive fields (RF) onto a hemispheric screen. A retinotopic map of the tectal surface was produced from such data and revealed an expanded representation for each fovea on the tectum and a systematic increase in RF size from fovea to periphery. The functional significance of this organization is discussed.

Keywords

RetinotopicKestrelTectumBifoveateStereopsis
Type
Research Article
Information
Visual Neuroscience , Volume 5 , Issue 3 , September 1990 , pp. 231 - 239
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

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