1
|
Carlson ML, Stoddard MC. Evolution of Plumage Patterns in a Pattern Morphospace: A Phylogenetic Analysis of Melanerpine Woodpeckers. Am Nat 2024; 203:55-72. [PMID: 38207134 DOI: 10.1086/727508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
AbstractPlumage patterns of melanerpine (Melanerpes-Sphyrapicus) woodpeckers are strikingly diverse. Understanding the evolution and function of this diversity is challenging because of the difficulty of quantifying plumage patterns. We use a three-dimensional space to characterize the evolution of melanerpine achromatic plumage patterns. The axes of the space are three pattern features (spatial frequency, orientation, and contrast) quantified using two-dimensional fast Fourier transformation of museum specimen images. Mapping plumage in pattern space reveals differences in how species and subclades occupy the space. To quantify these differences, we derive two new measures of pattern: pattern diversity (diversity across plumage patches within a species) and pattern uniqueness (divergence of patterns from those of other species). We estimate that the melanerpine ancestor had mottled plumage and find that pattern traits across patches and subclades evolve at different rates. We also find that smaller species are more likely to display horizontal face patterning. We promote pattern spaces as powerful tools for investigating animal pattern evolution.
Collapse
|
2
|
Vasas V, Lowell MC, Villa J, Jamison QD, Siegle AG, Katta PKR, Bhagavathula P, Kevan PG, Fulton D, Losin N, Kepplinger D, Yetzbacher MK, Salehian S, Forkner RE, Hanley D. Recording animal-view videos of the natural world using a novel camera system and software package. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002444. [PMID: 38261631 PMCID: PMC10805291 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Plants, animals, and fungi display a rich tapestry of colors. Animals, in particular, use colors in dynamic displays performed in spatially complex environments. Although current approaches for studying colors are objective and repeatable, they miss the temporal variation of color signals entirely. Here, we introduce hardware and software that provide ecologists and filmmakers the ability to accurately record animal-perceived colors in motion. Specifically, our Python codes transform photos or videos into perceivable units (quantum catches) for animals of known photoreceptor sensitivity. The plans and codes necessary for end-users to capture animal-view videos are all open source and publicly available to encourage continual community development. The camera system and the associated software package will allow ecologists to investigate how animals use colors in dynamic behavioral displays, the ways natural illumination alters perceived colors, and other questions that remained unaddressed until now due to a lack of suitable tools. Finally, it provides scientists and filmmakers with a new, empirically grounded approach for depicting the perceptual worlds of nonhuman animals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vera Vasas
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mark C. Lowell
- Theorem Engine, Alexandria, Virginia, United States of America
- Department of Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Juliana Villa
- Department of Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Quentin D. Jamison
- Department of Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Anna G. Siegle
- Department of Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Pavan Kumar Reddy Katta
- Department of Computer Science, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Pushyami Bhagavathula
- Department of Computer Science, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Peter G. Kevan
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada
| | - Drew Fulton
- Drew Fulton Photography, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Neil Losin
- Day’s Edge Productions, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - David Kepplinger
- Department of Statistics, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America
| | | | - Shakiba Salehian
- Department of Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Rebecca E. Forkner
- Department of Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Daniel Hanley
- Department of Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Rao D, Long SM, Tapia-McClung H, Salgado-Espinosa K, Narendra A, Aguilar-Arguello S, Robledo-Ospina L, Rodriguez-Morales D, Jakob EM. Visual signals in the wing display of a tephritid fly deter jumping spider attacks. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:286139. [PMID: 36478243 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.244223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Visual animal communication, whether to the same or to other species, is largely conducted through dynamic and colourful signals. For a signal to be effective, the signaller must capture and retain the attention of the receiver. Signal efficacy is also dependent on the sensory limitations of the receiver. However, most signalling studies consider movement and colour separately, resulting in a partial understanding of the signal in question. We explored the structure and function of predator-prey signalling in the jumping spider-tephritid fly system, where the prey performs a wing waving display that deters an attack from the predator. Using a custom-built spider retinal tracker combined with visual modelling, as well as behavioural assays, we studied the effect of fly wing movement and colour on the jumping spider's visual system. We show that jumping spiders track their prey less effectively during wing display and this can be attributed to a series of fluctuations in chromatic and achromatic contrasts arising from the wing movements. These results suggest that displaying flies deter spider attacks by manipulating the movement biases of the spider's visual system. Our results emphasise the importance of receiver attention on the evolution of interspecific communication.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dinesh Rao
- Instituto de Biotecnologia y Ecologia Aplicada, Universidad Veracruzana, 91090 Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - Skye M Long
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Horacio Tapia-McClung
- Instituto de Investigacion en Inteligencia Artificial, Universidad Veracruzana, 91097 Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - Kevin Salgado-Espinosa
- Instituto de Biotecnologia y Ecologia Aplicada, Universidad Veracruzana, 91090 Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - Ajay Narendra
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | | | - Luis Robledo-Ospina
- Instituto de Biotecnologia y Ecologia Aplicada, Universidad Veracruzana, 91090 Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - Dulce Rodriguez-Morales
- Instituto de Biotecnologia y Ecologia Aplicada, Universidad Veracruzana, 91090 Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico.,Instituo de Neuroetologia, Universidad Veracruzana, 91190 Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - Elizabeth M Jakob
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Miller AE, Hogan BG, Stoddard MC. Color in motion: Generating 3-dimensional multispectral models to study dynamic visual signals in animals. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.983369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Analyzing color and pattern in the context of motion is a central and ongoing challenge in the quantification of animal coloration. Many animal signals are spatially and temporally variable, but traditional methods fail to capture this dynamism because they use stationary animals in fixed positions. To investigate dynamic visual displays and to understand the evolutionary forces that shape dynamic colorful signals, we require cross-disciplinary methods that combine measurements of color, pattern, 3-dimensional (3D) shape, and motion. Here, we outline a workflow for producing digital 3D models with objective color information from museum specimens with diffuse colors. The workflow combines multispectral imaging with photogrammetry to produce digital 3D models that contain calibrated ultraviolet (UV) and human-visible (VIS) color information and incorporate pattern and 3D shape. These “3D multispectral models” can subsequently be animated to incorporate both signaler and receiver movement and analyzed in silico using a variety of receiver-specific visual models. This approach—which can be flexibly integrated with other tools and methods—represents a key first step toward analyzing visual signals in motion. We describe several timely applications of this workflow and next steps for multispectral 3D photogrammetry and animation techniques.
Collapse
|
5
|
Abstract
Natural habitats are increasingly affected by anthropogenically driven environmental changes resulting from habitat destruction, chemical and light pollution, and climate change. Organisms inhabiting such habitats are faced with novel disturbances that can alter their modes of signaling. Coloration is one such sensory modality whose production, perception and function is being affected by human-induced disturbances. Animals that acquire pigment derivatives through diet are adversely impacted by the introduction of chemical pollutants into their environments as well as by general loss of natural habitat due to urbanization or logging leading to declines in pigment sources. Those species that do manage to produce color-based signals and displays may face disruptions to their signaling medium in the form of light pollution and turbidity. Furthermore, forest fragmentation and the resulting breaks in canopy cover can expose animals to predation due to the influx of light into previously dark environments. Global climate warming has been decreasing snow cover in arctic regions, causing birds and mammals that undergo seasonal molts to appear conspicuous against a snowless background. Ectotherms that rely on color for thermoregulation are under pressure to change their appearances. Rapid changes in habitat type through severe fire events or coral bleaching also challenge animals to match their backgrounds. Through this review, we aim to describe the wide-ranging impacts of anthropogenic environmental changes on visual ecology and suggest directions for the use of coloration both as an indicator of ecological change and as a tool for conservation.
Collapse
|
6
|
Nolfo AP, Casetta G, Palagi E. Visual communication in social play of a hierarchical carnivore species: the case of wild spotted hyenas. Curr Zool 2021; 68:411-422. [PMID: 36090136 PMCID: PMC9450175 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoab076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Communication relies on signals that can be produced via different sensory modalities to modify receivers’ behavior. During social interactions, the possibility to perceive subtle visual cues enhances the use of facial expressions to exchange information. One of the most appropriate fields to explore the specific design features of visual signals is play fighting. Here, we explored the production and potential role of Relaxed Open Mouth (ROM) and Head Bobbing (HB) in regulating play fighting of wild spotted hyenas Crocuta crocuta, a highly hierarchical carnivore species. In accordance with the assumptions of the signal optimization theory, wild hyenas produced ROM and HB almost exclusively when the sender was in direct visual contact with the receiver thus suggesting that senders were attentive to the playmates’ face. Contrary to HB, the sequential analysis revealed that ROM often anticipated offensive patterns such as play biting thus supporting the hypothesis that ROM, but not HB, is a metacomunicative signal. Moreover, when the offensive patterns were biased toward one of the 2 players, the session was punctuated by a higher number of ROMs. Our findings support the general hypothesis that these 2 visual signals can play different roles in the management of play fighting in this carnivore species. The complementary use of ROM and HB would suggest that spotted hyenas are highly competent and fast in processing facial displays of different nature to correctly “read others’ intentions” and respond with appropriate motor actions to avoid misunderstanding during one of the most multifaceted and risky social interaction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Paolo Nolfo
- Department of Biology, Unit of Ethology, University of Pisa, Via A. Volta 6, Pisa, 56126, Italy
| | - Grazia Casetta
- Department of Biology, Unit of Ethology, University of Pisa, Via A. Volta 6, Pisa, 56126, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Palagi
- Department of Biology, Unit of Ethology, University of Pisa, Via A. Volta 6, Pisa, 56126, Italy
- Natural History Museum, University of Pisa, Via Roma 79, Calci, Pisa, 56011, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Echeverri SA, Miller AE, Chen J, McQueen EW, Plakke M, Spicer M, Hoke KL, Stoddard MC, Morehouse NI. How signaling geometry shapes the efficacy and evolution of animal communication systems. Integr Comp Biol 2021; 61:787-813. [PMID: 34021338 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Animal communication is inherently spatial. Both signal transmission and signal reception have spatial biases-involving direction, distance and position-that interact to determine signaling efficacy. Signals, be they visual, acoustic, or chemical, are often highly directional. Likewise, receivers may only be able to detect signals if they arrive from certain directions. Alignment between these directional biases is therefore critical for effective communication, with even slight misalignments disrupting perception of signaled information. In addition, signals often degrade as they travel from signaler to receiver, and environmental conditions that impact transmission can vary over even small spatiotemporal scales. Thus, how animals position themselves during communication is likely to be under strong selection. Despite this, our knowledge regarding the spatial arrangements of signalers and receivers during communication remains surprisingly coarse for most systems. We know even less about how signaler and receiver behaviors contribute to effective signaling alignment over time, or how signals themselves may have evolved to influence and/or respond to these aspects of animal communication. Here, we first describe why researchers should adopt a more explicitly geometric view of animal signaling, including issues of location, direction, and distance. We then describe how environmental and social influences introduce further complexities to the geometry of signaling. We discuss how multimodality offers new challenges and opportunities for signalers and receivers. We conclude with recommendations and future directions made visible by attention to the geometry of signaling.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Audrey E Miller
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
| | - Jason Chen
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.,Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
| | - Eden W McQueen
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Melissa Plakke
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
| | - Michelle Spicer
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.,Biology Department, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA
| | - Kim L Hoke
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
| | | | - Nathan I Morehouse
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Hulse SV, Renoult JP, Mendelson TC. Sexual signaling pattern correlates with habitat pattern in visually ornamented fishes. Nat Commun 2020; 11:2561. [PMID: 32444815 PMCID: PMC7244530 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16389-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual signal design is an evolutionary puzzle that has been partially solved by the hypothesis of sensory drive. Framed in signal detection theory, sensory drive posits that the attractiveness of a signal depends on its detectability, measured as contrast with the background. Yet, cognitive scientists have shown that humans prefer images that match the spatial statistics of natural scenes. The explanation is framed in information theory, whereby attractiveness is determined by the efficiency of information processing. Here, we apply this framework to animals, using Fourier analysis to compare the spatial statistics of body patterning in ten species of darters (Etheostoma spp.) with those of their respective habitats. We find a significant correlation between the spatial statistics of darter patterns and those of their habitats for males, but not for females. Our results support a sensory drive hypothesis that recognizes efficient information processing as a driving force in signal evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Samuel V Hulse
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Julien P Renoult
- CEFE, University of Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, University of Paul-Valery Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Tamra C Mendelson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Uetz GW, Clark DL, Kane H, Stoffer B. Listening in: the importance of vibratory courtship signals for male eavesdropping in the wolf spider, Schizocosa ocreata. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2743-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
|
10
|
Stoddard MC, Osorio D. Animal Coloration Patterns: Linking Spatial Vision to Quantitative Analysis. Am Nat 2019; 193:164-186. [DOI: 10.1086/701300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
|
11
|
Simpson RK, McGraw KJ. Experimental trait mismatches uncover specificity of evolutionary links between multiple signaling traits and their interactions in hummingbirds*. Evolution 2018; 73:436-451. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.13662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2018] [Accepted: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Richard K. Simpson
- School of Life Sciences Arizona State University Tempe Arizona 85287
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Windsor Windsor Ontario N9B 3P4 Canada
| | - Kevin J. McGraw
- School of Life Sciences Arizona State University Tempe Arizona 85287
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Hogan BG, Stoddard MC. Synchronization of speed, sound and iridescent color in a hummingbird aerial courtship dive. Nat Commun 2018; 9:5260. [PMID: 30563977 PMCID: PMC6299134 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07562-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Many animal signals are complex, often combining multimodal components with dynamic motion. To understand the function and evolution of these displays, it is vital to appreciate their spatiotemporal organization. Male broad-tailed hummingbirds (Selasphorus platycercus) perform dramatic U-shaped courtship dives over females, appearing to combine rapid movement and dive-specific mechanical noises with visual signals from their iridescent gorgets. To understand how motion, sound and color interact in these spectacular displays, we obtained video and audio recordings of dives performed by wild hummingbirds. We then applied a multi-angle imaging technique to estimate how a female would perceive the male's iridescent gorget throughout the dive. We show that the key physical, acoustic and visual aspects of the dive are remarkably synchronized-all occurring within 300 milliseconds. Our results highlight the critical importance of accounting for motion and orientation when investigating animal displays: speed and trajectory affect how multisensory signals are produced and perceived.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Benedict G Hogan
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA.,Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO, 81224, USA
| | - Mary Caswell Stoddard
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA. .,Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO, 81224, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Rosenthal GG. Evaluation and hedonic value in mate choice. Curr Zool 2018; 64:485-492. [PMID: 30108629 PMCID: PMC6084558 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoy054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2018] [Accepted: 06/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Mating preferences can show extreme variation within and among individuals even when sensory inputs are conserved. This variation is a result of changes associated with evaluative mechanisms that assign positive, neutral, or negative hedonic value to stimuli—that is, label them as attractive, uninteresting, or unattractive. There is widespread behavioral evidence for differences in genes, environmental cues, or social experience leading to marked changes in the hedonic value of stimuli. Evaluation is accomplished through an array of mechanisms that are readily modifiable through genetic changes or environmental inputs, and that may often result in the rapid acquisition or loss of behavioral preferences. Reversals in preference arising from “flips” in hedonic value may be quite common. Incorporating such discontinuous changes into models of preference evolution may illuminate our understanding of processes like trait diversification, sexual conflict, and sympatric speciation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gil G Rosenthal
- Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.,Centro de Investigaciones Científicas de la Huastecas "Aguazarca", Università degli Studi di Torino, Italy
| | | |
Collapse
|
14
|
Chen BJ, Liu K, Zhou LJ, Gomes-Silva G, Sommer-Trembo C, Plath M. Personality differentially affects individual mate choice decisions in female and male Western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis). PLoS One 2018; 13:e0197197. [PMID: 29763435 PMCID: PMC5953439 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2017] [Accepted: 04/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Consistent individual differences in behavioral tendencies (animal personality) can affect individual mate choice decisions. We asked whether personality traits affect male and female mate choice decisions similarly and whether potential personality effects are consistent across different mate choice situations. Using western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) as our study organism, we characterized focal individuals (males and females) twice for boldness, activity, and sociability/shoaling and found high and significant behavioral repeatability. Additionally, each focal individual was tested in two different dichotomous mate choice tests in which it could choose between computer-animated stimulus fish of the opposite sex that differed in body size and activity levels, respectively. Personality had different effects on female and male mate choice: females that were larger than average showed stronger preferences for large-bodied males with increasing levels of boldness/activity (i.e., towards more proactive personality types). Males that were larger than average and had higher shoaling tendencies showed stronger preferences for actively swimming females. Size-dependent effects of personality on the strength of preferences for distinct phenotypes of potential mating partners may reflect effects of age/experience (especially in females) and social dominance (especially in males). Previous studies found evidence for assortative mate choice based on personality types or hypothesized the existence of behavioral syndromes of individuals’ choosiness across mate choice criteria, possibly including other personality traits. Our present study exemplifies that far more complex patterns of personality-dependent mate choice can emerge in natural systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bo-jian Chen
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, P.R. China
| | - Kai Liu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, P.R. China
| | - Lin-jun Zhou
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, P.R. China
| | - Guilherme Gomes-Silva
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, P.R. China
- Department of Geography (“Saude Ambiental”), Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Carolin Sommer-Trembo
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, P.R. China
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, J.W. Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Martin Plath
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, P.R. China
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Chen Y, Clark O, Woolley SC. Courtship song preferences in female zebra finches are shaped by developmental auditory experience. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2017.0054. [PMID: 28539523 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2017] [Accepted: 04/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The performance of courtship signals provides information about the behavioural state and quality of the signaller, and females can use such information for social decision-making (e.g. mate choice). However, relatively little is known about the degree to which the perception of and preference for differences in motor performance are shaped by developmental experiences. Furthermore, the neural substrates that development could act upon to influence the processing of performance features remains largely unknown. In songbirds, females use song to identify males and select mates. Moreover, female songbirds are often sensitive to variation in male song performance. Consequently, we investigated how developmental exposure to adult male song affected behavioural and neural responses to song in a small, gregarious songbird, the zebra finch. Zebra finch males modulate their song performance when courting females, and previous work has shown that females prefer the high-performance, female-directed courtship song. However, unlike females allowed to hear and interact with an adult male during development, females reared without developmental song exposure did not demonstrate behavioural preferences for high-performance courtship songs. Additionally, auditory responses to courtship and non-courtship song were altered in adult females raised without developmental song exposure. These data highlight the critical role of developmental auditory experience in shaping the perception and processing of song performance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yining Chen
- Integrated program in Neuroscience, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Oliver Clark
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Sarah C Woolley
- Integrated program in Neuroscience, Montreal, Quebec, Canada .,Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Penteriani V, Delgado MDM. Living in the dark does not mean a blind life: bird and mammal visual communication in dim light. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 372:rstb.2016.0064. [PMID: 28193809 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
For many years, it was believed that bird and mammal communication 'in the dark of the night' relied exclusively on vocal and chemical signalling. However, in recent decades, several case studies have conveyed the idea that the nocturnal world is rich in visual information. Clearly, a visual signal needs a source of light to work, but diurnal light (twilight included, i.e. any light directly dependent on the sun) is not the only source of luminosity on this planet. Actually, moonlight represents a powerful source of illumination that cannot be neglected from the perspective of visual communication. White patches of feathers and fur on a dark background have the potential to be used to communicate with conspecifics and heterospecifics in dim light across different contexts and for a variety of reasons. Here: (i) we review current knowledge on visual signalling in crepuscular and nocturnal birds and mammals; and (ii) we also present some possible cases of birds and mammals that, due to the characteristics of their feather and fur coloration pattern, might use visual signals in dim light. Visual signalling in nocturnal animals is still an emerging field and, to date, it has received less attention than many other means of communication, including visual communication under daylight. For this reason, many questions remain unanswered and, sometimes, even unasked.This article is part of the themed issue 'Vision in dim light'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vincenzo Penteriani
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, C.S.I.C., c/Américo Vespucio s/n, 41092 Seville, Spain .,Research Unit of Biodiversity (UMIB, UO-CSIC-PA), Oviedo University-Campus Mieres, 33600 Mieres, Spain
| | - María Del Mar Delgado
- Research Unit of Biodiversity (UMIB, UO-CSIC-PA), Oviedo University-Campus Mieres, 33600 Mieres, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Echeverri SA, Morehouse NI, Zurek DB. Control of signaling alignment during the dynamic courtship display of a jumping spider. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian A Echeverri
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, 4249 5th Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Nathan I Morehouse
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, 4249 5th Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, 7148 Edwards One, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
| | - Daniel B Zurek
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, 4249 5th Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, 7148 Edwards One, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Yorzinski JL, Patricelli GL, Bykau S, Platt ML. Selective attention in peacocks during assessment of rival males. J Exp Biol 2017; 220:1146-1153. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.150946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2016] [Accepted: 01/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Males in many species compete intensely for access to females. In order to minimize costly interactions, they can assess their rivals’ competitive abilities by evaluating traits and behaviors. We know little about how males selectively direct their attention to make these assessments. Using Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) as a model system, we examined how males visually assess their competitors by continuously tracking the gaze of freely moving peacocks during the mating season. When assessing rivals, peacocks selectively gazed toward the lower display regions of their rivals, including the lower eyespot and fishtail feathers, dense feathers, body and wings. Their attention was modified based on the rivals’ behavior such that they spent more time looking at rivals when rivals were shaking their wings and moving. The results indicate that peacocks selectively allocate their attention during rival assessment. The gaze patterns of males assessing rivals were largely similar to those of females evaluating mates, suggesting that some male traits serve a dual function in both intra- and intersexual selection. However, males spent more time than females looking at the upper eyespots and this could indicate that the upper eyespots function more in close-up rival assessment than mate choice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L. Yorzinski
- Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
- Duke Institute for Brain Sciences and Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Gail L. Patricelli
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Siarhei Bykau
- Bloomberg L.P., 731 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10022, USA
| | - Michael L. Platt
- Duke Institute for Brain Sciences and Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Marketing Department, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
|
20
|
Powell DL, Rosenthal GG. What artifice can and cannot tell us about animal behavior. Curr Zool 2017; 63:21-26. [PMID: 29491959 PMCID: PMC5804151 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zow091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2016] [Accepted: 08/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Artifice-the manipulation of social and environmental stimuli-is fundamental to research in animal behavior. State-of-the-art techniques have been developed to generate and present complex visual stimuli. These techniques have unique strengths and limitations. However, many of the issues with synthetic animation and virtual reality are common to playback experiments in general, including those using unmanipulated video or auditory stimuli. Playback experiments, in turn, fall into the broader category of experiments that artificially manipulate the array of stimuli experienced by a subject. We argue that the challenges of designing and interpreting experiments using virtual reality or synthetic animations are largely comparable to those of studies using older technologies or addressing other modalities, and that technology alone is unlikely to solve these challenges. We suggest that appropriate experimental designs are the key to validating behavioral responses to artificial stimuli and to interpreting all studies using artifice, including those that present complex visual displays.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel L. Powell
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
- Centro de Investigaciones Científicas de las Huastecas Aguazarca, 43230 Calnali, Hidalgo, Mexico
| | - Gil G. Rosenthal
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
- Centro de Investigaciones Científicas de las Huastecas Aguazarca, 43230 Calnali, Hidalgo, Mexico
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Wackermannova MA, Horky P, Amorim MCP, Fonseca PJ. Computer-manipulated stimuli as a research tool in Mozambique tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus. Acta Ethol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10211-017-0252-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
|
22
|
|
23
|
Variation in Display Behavior, Ornament Morphology, Sexual Size Dimorphism, and Habitat Structure in the Fan-Throated Lizard (Sitana, Agamidae). J HERPETOL 2016. [DOI: 10.1670/15-040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
|
24
|
Hebets EA, Barron AB, Balakrishnan CN, Hauber ME, Mason PH, Hoke KL. A systems approach to animal communication. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 283:20152889. [PMID: 26936240 PMCID: PMC4810859 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.2889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2015] [Accepted: 02/10/2016] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Why animal communication displays are so complex and how they have evolved are active foci of research with a long and rich history. Progress towards an evolutionary analysis of signal complexity, however, has been constrained by a lack of hypotheses to explain similarities and/or differences in signalling systems across taxa. To address this, we advocate incorporating a systems approach into studies of animal communication--an approach that includes comprehensive experimental designs and data collection in combination with the implementation of systems concepts and tools. A systems approach evaluates overall display architecture, including how components interact to alter function, and how function varies in different states of the system. We provide a brief overview of the current state of the field, including a focus on select studies that highlight the dynamic nature of animal signalling. We then introduce core concepts from systems biology (redundancy, degeneracy, pluripotentiality, and modularity) and discuss their relationships with system properties (e.g. robustness, flexibility, evolvability). We translate systems concepts into an animal communication framework and accentuate their utility through a case study. Finally, we demonstrate how consideration of the system-level organization of animal communication poses new practical research questions that will aid our understanding of how and why animal displays are so complex.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eileen A Hebets
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Andrew B Barron
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Mark E Hauber
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College and The Graduate Center, The City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Paul H Mason
- Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kim L Hoke
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Variable Signals in a Complex World. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.asb.2016.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
|
26
|
Facing the environment: onset and development of UV markings in young fish. Sci Rep 2015; 5:13193. [PMID: 26282341 PMCID: PMC4539538 DOI: 10.1038/srep13193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2014] [Accepted: 07/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Most colour patterns in animals represent an elegant compromise between conspicuousness to ensure effective communication with preferred receivers and camouflage to avoid attracting the attention of unwanted predators. Many species, including several coral reef fishes, overcome this conflict by using ultraviolet (UV) colouration and signalling, as these colours are visible only over short distances and are often invisible to their predators. Despite a great interest in their behavioural significance and ecological influence on survival, little is known about when these colours first develop on the bodies of free-living animals. Here we show for the first time that the UV facial patterns of a coral reef fish do not develop in captivity but only when juveniles experience the socio-behavioural conditions of their natural environment. Using field and laboratory experiments, we determined that the onset and early development of these UV facial markings did not occur at metamorphosis. Instead, juveniles developed the UV markings during their first two weeks on the reef. Exposure to different reef environments revealed significant plasticity in the development of these markings. The direct or indirect (through intraspecific interactions) exposure to predators is a likely candidate trigger for the plastic development of these UV markings in the wild.
Collapse
|
27
|
Clark DL, Kizer Zeeff C, Sabovodny G, Hollenberg A, Roberts JA, Uetz GW. The role of social experience in eavesdropping by male wolf spiders (Lycosidae). Anim Behav 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
|
28
|
Scales JA, Butler MA. The relationship between microhabitat use, allometry and functional variation in the eyes of Hawaiian
Megalagrion
damselflies. Funct Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey A. Scales
- Department of Integrative Biology Univeristy of South Florida Tampa FL33620 USA
- Department of Biology University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu HI96822 USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
29
|
Alonso WJ. Evolution of bright colours in animals: worlds of prohibition and oblivion. F1000Res 2015; 4:115. [PMID: 27853502 PMCID: PMC5089127 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.6493.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Because the ability to hide in plain sight provides a major selective advantage to both prey and predator species, the emergence of the striking colouration of some animal species (such as many coral reef fish) represents an evolutionary conundrum that remains unsolved to date. Here I propose a framework by which conspicuous colours can emerge when the selective pressures for camouflage are relaxed (1) because camouflage is not essential under specific prey/predator conditions or (2) due to the impossibility of reducing the signal-to-background noise in the environment. The first case is found among non-predator-species that possess effective defences against predators (hence a “Carefree World”), such as the strong macaws’ beaks and the flight abilities of hummingbirds. The second case is found in diurnal mobile fish of coral reef communities, which swim in clear waters against highly contrasting and unpredictable background (hence an "Hyper-Visible World”). In those contexts the selective pressures that usually come secondary to camouflage (such as sexual, warning, species recognition or territorial display) are free to drive the evolution of brilliant and diverse colouration. This theoretical framework can also be useful for studying the conditions that allow for conspicuousness in other sensory contexts (acoustic, chemical, electrical, etc.).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wladimir J Alonso
- Laboratory for Human Evolutionary and Ecological Studies, Department of Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-090, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Ma Z(S. Towards computational models of animal cognition, an introduction for computer scientists. COGN SYST RES 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cogsys.2014.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
|
31
|
Verdeny-Vilalta O, Aluja M, Casas J. Relative roles of resource stimulus and vegetation architecture on the paths of flies foraging for fruit. OIKOS 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.01557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Oriol Verdeny-Vilalta
- Dept of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology; Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA-CSIC). Carretera de Sacramento, s/n; ES-04120 La Cañada de San Urbano, Almería Spain
| | - Martín Aluja
- Inst. de Ecología, A.C.; Apartado Postal 63 MX-91000 Xalapa, Veracruz Mexico
| | - Jérôme Casas
- Inst. de Recherches sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, Univ. de Tours; IRBI UMR CNRS 7261, Av. Monge FR-37200 Tours France
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Starnberger I, Preininger D, Hödl W. From uni- to multimodality: towards an integrative view on anuran communication. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2014; 200:777-87. [PMID: 24973893 PMCID: PMC4138437 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-014-0923-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2014] [Revised: 06/06/2014] [Accepted: 06/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Undeniably, acoustic signals are the predominant mode of communication in frogs and toads. Acoustically active species are found throughout the vast diversity of anuran families. However, additional or alternative signal modalities have gained increasing attention. In several anurans, seismic, visual and chemical communications have convergently evolved due to ecological constraints such as noisy environments. The production of a visual cue, like the inevitably moving vocal sac of acoustically advertising males, is emphasized by conspicuously coloured throats. Limb movements accompanied by dynamic displays of bright colours are additional examples of striking visual signals independent of vocalizations. In some multimodal anuran communication systems, the acoustic component acts as an alert signal, which alters the receiver attention to the following visual display. Recent findings of colourful glands on vocal sacs, producing volatile species-specific scent bouquets suggest the possibility of integration of acoustic, visual and chemical cues in species recognition and mate choice. The combination of signal components facilitates a broadened display repertoire in challenging environmental conditions. Thus, the complexity of the communication systems of frogs and toads may have been underestimated.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Iris Starnberger
- Department of Integrative Zoology, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria,
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
33
|
|
34
|
Yorzinski JL, Patricelli GL, Babcock JS, Pearson JM, Platt ML. Through their eyes: selective attention in peahens during courtship. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 216:3035-46. [PMID: 23885088 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.087338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Conspicuous, multicomponent ornamentation in male animals can be favored by female mate choice but we know little about the cognitive processes females use to evaluate these traits. Sexual selection may favor attention mechanisms allowing the choosing females to selectively and efficiently acquire relevant information from complex male display traits and, in turn, may favor male display traits that effectively capture and hold female attention. Using a miniaturized telemetric gaze-tracker, we show that peahens (Pavo cristatus) selectively attend to specific components of peacock courtship displays and virtually ignore other, highly conspicuous components. Females gazed at the lower train but largely ignored the head, crest and upper train. When the lower train was obscured, however, females spent more time gazing at the upper train and approached the upper train from a distance. Our results suggest that peahens mainly evaluate the lower train during close-up courtship but use the upper train as a long-distance attraction signal. Furthermore, we found that behavioral display components (train rattling and wing shaking) captured and maintained female attention, indicating that interactions between display components may promote the evolution of multicomponent displays. Taken together, these findings suggest that selective attention plays a crucial role in sexual selection and likely influences the evolution of male display traits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L Yorzinski
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
35
|
Multimodal signals increase active space of communication by wolf spiders in a complex litter environment. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-013-1557-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
|
36
|
|
37
|
Allen WL, Higham JP. Analyzing visual signals as visual scenes. Am J Primatol 2013; 75:664-82. [PMID: 23440880 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2012] [Revised: 12/11/2012] [Accepted: 12/30/2012] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The study of visual signal design is gaining momentum as techniques for studying signals become more sophisticated and more freely available. In this paper we discuss methods for analyzing the color and form of visual signals, for integrating signal components into visual scenes, and for producing visual signal stimuli for use in psychophysical experiments. Our recommended methods aim to be rigorous, detailed, quantitative, objective, and where possible based on the perceptual representation of the intended signal receiver(s). As methods for analyzing signal color and luminance have been outlined in previous publications we focus on analyzing form information by discussing how statistical shape analysis (SSA) methods can be used to analyze signal shape, and spatial filtering to analyze repetitive patterns. We also suggest the use of vector-based approaches for integrating multiple signal components. In our opinion elliptical Fourier analysis (EFA) is the most promising technique for shape quantification but we await the results of empirical comparison of techniques and the development of new shape analysis methods based on the cognitive and perceptual representations of receivers. Our manuscript should serve as an introductory guide to those interested in measuring visual signals, and while our examples focus on primate signals, the methods are applicable to quantifying visual signals in most taxa.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- William L Allen
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
38
|
Stevens M, Marshall KLA, Troscianko J, Finlay S, Burnand D, Chadwick SL. Revealed by conspicuousness: distractive markings reduce camouflage. Behav Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ars156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
|
39
|
Zylinski S, How MJ, Osorio D, Hanlon RT, Marshall NJ. To be seen or to hide: visual characteristics of body patterns for camouflage and communication in the Australian giant cuttlefish Sepia apama. Am Nat 2011; 177:681-90. [PMID: 21508613 DOI: 10.1086/659626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
It might seem obvious that a camouflaged animal must generally match its background whereas to be conspicuous an organism must differ from the background. However, the image parameters (or statistics) that evaluate the conspicuousness of patterns and textures are seldom well defined, and animal coloration patterns are rarely compared quantitatively with their respective backgrounds. Here we examine this issue in the Australian giant cuttlefish Sepia apama. We confine our analysis to the best-known and simplest image statistic, the correlation in intensity between neighboring pixels. Sepia apama can rapidly change their body patterns from assumed conspicuous signaling to assumed camouflage, thus providing an excellent and unique opportunity to investigate how such patterns differ in a single visual habitat. We describe the intensity variance and spatial frequency power spectra of these differing body patterns and compare these patterns with the backgrounds against which they are viewed. The measured image statistics of camouflaged animals closely resemble their backgrounds, while signaling animals differ significantly from their backgrounds. Our findings may provide the basis for a set of general rules for crypsis and signals. Furthermore, our methods may be widely applicable to the quantitative study of animal coloration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S Zylinski
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
40
|
Clark DL, Roberts JA, Rector M, Uetz GW. Spectral reflectance and communication in the wolf spider, Schizocosa ocreata (Hentz): simultaneous crypsis and background contrast in visual signals. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-011-1137-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
|
41
|
Fleishman LJ, Pallus AC. Motion perception and visual signal design in Anolis lizards. Proc Biol Sci 2010; 277:3547-54. [PMID: 20591869 PMCID: PMC2982240 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2010.0742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2010] [Accepted: 06/04/2010] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Anolis lizards communicate with displays consisting of motion of the head and body. Early portions of long-distance displays require movements that are effective at eliciting the attention of potential receivers. We studied signal-motion efficacy using a two-dimensional visual-motion detection (2DMD) model consisting of a grid of correlation-type elementary motion detectors. This 2DMD model has been shown to accurately predict Anolis lizard behavioural response. We tested different patterns of artificially generated motion and found that an abrupt 0.3° shift of position in less than 100 ms is optimal. We quantified motion in displays of 25 individuals from five species. Four species employ near-optimal movement patterns. We tested displays of these species using the 2DMD model on scenes with and without moderate wind. Display movements can easily be detected, even in the presence of windblown vegetation. The fifth species does not typically use the most effective display movements and display movements cannot be discerned by the 2DMD model in the presence of windblown vegetation. A number of Anolis species use abrupt up-and-down head movements approximately 10 mm in amplitude in displays, and these movements appear to be extremely effective for stimulating the receiver visual system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Leo J Fleishman
- Department of Biological Sciences, Union College, Schenectady, NY 12308, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
42
|
Effect of visual background complexity and light level on the detection of visual signals of male Schizocosa ocreata wolf spiders by female conspecifics. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-010-1079-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
|
43
|
Schwartz AK, Hendry AP. Testing the influence of local forest canopy clearing on phenotypic variation in Trinidadian guppies. Funct Ecol 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2009.01652.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
|
44
|
Modeling and measuring the visual detection of ecologically relevant motion by an Anolis lizard. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2009; 196:1-13. [PMID: 19908049 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-009-0487-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2009] [Revised: 10/24/2009] [Accepted: 10/24/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Motion in the visual periphery of lizards, and other animals, often causes a shift of visual attention toward the moving object. This behavioral response must be more responsive to relevant motion (predators, prey, conspecifics) than to irrelevant motion (windblown vegetation). Early stages of visual motion detection rely on simple local circuits known as elementary motion detectors (EMDs). We presented a computer model consisting of a grid of correlation-type EMDs, with videos of natural motion patterns, including prey, predators and windblown vegetation. We systematically varied the model parameters and quantified the relative response to the different classes of motion. We carried out behavioral experiments with the lizard Anolis sagrei and determined that their visual response could be modeled with a grid of correlation-type EMDs with a spacing parameter of 0.3 degrees visual angle, and a time constant of 0.1 s. The model with these parameters gave substantially stronger responses to relevant motion patterns than to windblown vegetation under equivalent conditions. However, the model is sensitive to local contrast and viewer-object distance. Therefore, additional neural processing is probably required for the visual system to reliably distinguish relevant from irrelevant motion under a full range of natural conditions.
Collapse
|
45
|
Zylinski S, Osorio D, Shohet AJ. Cuttlefish camouflage: context-dependent body pattern use during motion. Proc Biol Sci 2009; 276:3963-9. [PMID: 19692411 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2009.1083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
It is virtually impossible to camouflage a moving target against a non-uniform background, but strategies have been proposed to reduce detection and targeting of movement. Best known is the idea that high contrast markings produce 'motion dazzle', which impairs judgement of speed and trajectory. The ability of the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis to change its visual appearance allows us to compare the animal's choice of patterns during movement to the predictions of models of motion camouflage. We compare cuttlefish body patterns used during movement with those expressed when static on two background types; one of which promotes low-contrast mottle patterns and the other promotes high-contrast disruptive patterns. We find that the body pattern used during motion is context-specific and that high-contrast body pattern components are significantly reduced during movement. Thus, in our experimental conditions, cuttlefish do not use high contrast motion dazzle. It may be that, in addition to being inherently conspicuous during movement, moving high-contrast patterns will attract attention because moving particles in coastal waters tend to be of small size and of low relative contrast.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S Zylinski
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
46
|
Multivariate male traits misalign with multivariate female preferences in the swordtail fish, Xiphophorus birchmanni. Anim Behav 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2009.02.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
|
47
|
Dangles O, Irschick D, Chittka L, Casas J. Variability in Sensory Ecology: Expanding the Bridge Between Physiology and Evolutionary Biology. QUARTERLY REVIEW OF BIOLOGY 2009; 84:51-74. [DOI: 10.1086/596463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
|
48
|
Abstract
Many traits in animals reduce the rate of attack from visually hunting predators, including camouflage, warning signals and mimicry. In addition, some animal markings may reduce the likelihood that an attack ends in successful capture. These might include dazzle markings, high-contrast patterns that make the estimation of speed and trajectory difficult. However, until now, no study has experimentally tested whether some markings may achieve such an effect. We developed a computer 'game' where human 'predators' have to capture computer-generated prey moving across a background. In two experiments, we find that although uniform camouflaged targets were among the hardest to capture, so were a range of high-contrast conspicuous patterns, such as bands and zigzags. Prey were also more difficult to capture against more heterogeneous than uniform backgrounds, and at faster speeds of movement. As such, we find the first experimental evidence that conspicuous patterns, similar to those found in a wide range of real animals, make the capture of moving prey more challenging. Various anti-predator markings may work prey during motion, and some animals may combine such dazzle patterns with other functions, such as camouflage, thermoregulation, sexual and warning signals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martin Stevens
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|