How is it that a single photopigment can give a different response to different wavelengths, yet...

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Biology

How is it that a single photopigment can give a differentresponse to different wavelengths, yet an organism with only onereceptor type (and one variety of photopigment) does not have truecolor vision?

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Photopigments respond differently to different wavelengths but the neural response of the photoreceptor does not specify wavelength Univariance principle a photoreceptorsresponse is summarized by one variable that specifies the amount of light absorbed The problem with univariance is that an infinite set of different wavelengthintensity combinations can elicit exactly the same response from a single type of photoreceptor Photoreceptors Rods are sensitive to scotopic light levels All rods contain the same photopigment molecule All rods have the same sensitivity to variouswavelengths of light Therefore rods suffer from the problem of univariance and cannot sense differences in color Under scotopic conditions only rods are activewhich is why the world seems drained of colour Cone photoreceptors Three varieties Scones Cones that are preferentiallysensitive to short wavelengths bluecones Mcones Cones that are See Answer

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