“And as the animals get larger, so does their potential for complex visual systems. Similar to many insects, Daphnia hav ecompounded eyes that are made up of units called ommatidia, which focus light onto photoreceptor cells to form images. The larger the eye, the more information the daphnia and other animals with these kinds of image-forming eyes can get. But size and complexity come with trade-offs. Sure, these eyes help the animal navigate and find food. But these are costly organs to build and maintain. One study found that the retina in a blowfly's eye took up 10% of its resting metabolic rate. Eyes and these analogous structures have evolved in response to what we need to process from our surroundings. Needs inform evolution, which in turn, informs new needs. And light can provide for those needs, but it can also pose its own dangers.”
Journey to the Microcosmos- Can Microbes See Without Eyes?
Images Originally Captured by Jam’s Germs