Talk:Function of compound eye

The contribution on “Function of compound eyes” reflects a useful first draft which already contains highly relevant issues. However, the article is still somewhat patchy and does not reflect a balanced review of the field in that it leaves out highly relevant aspects of compound eye function.

• The article provides virtually no information on the consequences of compound eye function resulting from its peculiar optical design. This highly relevant aspect is virtually left out so far, although there is a huge body of literature in this fascinating field. For instance, a brief explanation of the principally different eye types of compound eyes (apposition, superposition, neural superposition) would be very helpful (possibly with a sketch) including the functional consequences of the different optical (and/or neural) designs (see articles of scientists such as Land, Kirschfeld, Laughlin etc.).

• The author stresses the slowness of the phototransduction process and refers to the cellular mechanisms underlying this process. It would be helpful for a general readership if the dynamical properties of insect photoreceptors were related to those of vertebrate eyes (which may qualify the meaning of “slow” to some extent). It is although important for compound eye function to discuss that the changes of the dynamical of the peripheral visual system on brightness. Much of the important work in this field originates in the lab of the author of the article. All this could also be illustrated by good sketches.

• Most of the issues discussed in the section “Visual signal processing in higher brain centers” are treated in a much more detailed Scholarpedia article on “Insect motion vision”. Hence, a link to this article may be useful.

Reviewer B:

I have e-mailed my specific suggestions/concerns to the Author, and I now wait for his reply.