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Color Vision: How Our Eyes Reflect Primate Evolution
- tokenadult 18y ago"In the case of primate color vision, trichromacy based on the "new" M and L pigments (along with the S pigment) presumably conferred a selective advantage over dichromats in some environments. The colors of ripe fruit, for example, frequently contrast with the surrounding foliage, but dichromats are less able to see such contrast because they have low sensitivity to color differences in the red, yellow and green regions of the visual spectrum. An improved ability to identify edible fruit would likely aid the survival of individuals harboring the mutations that confer trichromacy and lead to the spread of those mutant genes in the population." Sean Carroll has a very interesting discussion of the evolution of color vision in primates, and the consequent loss of selection pressure on many genes that develop sensitive sense of smell, in his book The Making of the Fittest. http://www.amazon.com/Making-Fittest-Sean-Carroll/dp/0393330516/ http://www.amazon.com/Making-Fittest-Sean-Carroll/dp/0393330...