Select the correct answers to the questions from the given options. (Do not copy the questions, write the correct answer only.)
Owls are nocturnal animals. They are active at night and hunt small animals for food. Owls have large eyes and can see well at night. This is due to:
Topic: Rods and rhodopsin — night vision
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Answer
(c) Rods and Rhodopsin.
RODS and RHODOPSIN. The two must be matched correctly, and the question offers all four combinations precisely to test that.
THE PAIRING: RODS contain RHODOPSIN (visual purple). They are sensitive to DIM light and give black-and-white vision — the receptors for NIGHT vision. CONES contain IODOPSIN (visual violet). They need BRIGHT light and give COLOUR vision.
A nocturnal hunter needs to see in the dark, so it has a retina packed with rods.
HOW TO KEEP THEM STRAIGHT: rhodopsin and rods both have an "R"; cones and colour both have a "C". That pairing alone answers the question.
Worth adding: rhodopsin is made from VITAMIN A, which is why a deficiency of vitamin A causes NIGHT BLINDNESS — the rods can no longer make enough pigment.
Rods and Rhodopsin.