Abstract
[Truncated abstract] Birds rely primarily on vision to guide a wide range of behaviours including foraging, surveillance for predators and detection of conspecifics. Their visual system also shows numerous specialisations to cope with the distinct physical properties and structural complexities of the different environments they occupy. This thesis investigates the relationship of the topographic distribution of neurons in the retina of birds with their behavioural ecology and niche occupation. I used the retinal wholemount technique, stereology, classic histological methods and immunohistochemistry to characterise the topographic organisation of ganglion cells and photoreceptors in representative avian species from three orders: Sphenisciformes (penguins), Psittaciformes (cockatoos) and Passeriformes (passerines).
Original language | English |
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Qualification | Doctor of Philosophy |
Publication status | Unpublished - 2014 |