Whole eye transcriptome sequencing of southern leopard frogs tadpoles and juveniles exposed to light and dark conditions

Whole eye transcriptome sequencing of southern leopard frogs tadpoles and juveniles exposed to light and dark conditions. Used in analyses of differential gene expression between tadpoles and juveniles and between dark and light exposed samples. Overall, we identified extensive expression-level differences in the eyes of tadpoles and juveniles related to observed morphological and physiological changes through metamorphosis, and corresponding adaptive shifts to improve vision in the distinct aquatic and terrestrial light environments these frogs inhabit during their life cycle. More broadly, the results suggest that decoupling of gene expression can mediate the opposing selection pressures experienced by organisms with complex life cycles that inhabit different environmental conditions throughout ontogeny.