Morphological characteristics of the retinomotor response in salmon trout (oncorhynchus masou) fry in a magnetic field and red light.

The retinomotor response was studied in fry of the salmon trout Oncorhynchus masou during experimental exposures to a constant magnetic field and red light alone and together. The responses of photoreceptors and the pigmented epithelium to red light were mesopic in nature. The mesopic state of the retina after exposure of fish to a magnetic field in the dark differed from the pigment epithelium response after exposure to red light. On exposure to the magnetic field after red light, the effects of these two treatments were additive. Rods adapted to low-light conditions, while cones adapted to light. The simultaneous operation of these two mechanisms of perception is thus possible, although it never occurs in normal conditions. On exposure to red light after the magnetic field, the retinomotor response reflected a physiological dysfunction in which neither rods nor cones were operative. The pigmented epithelium is actively involved in responses to changes in the magnetic field. It is suggested that cells of the pigmented epithelium can function as light-sensitive magnetoreceptors.