Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026
06:50
Enabling High Grayscale Resolution Displays and Accurate Response Time Measurements on Conventional Computers
Published on: February 29, 2012
Sensory adaptation. Tunable colour vision in a mantis shrimp
T W Cronin1, R L Caldwell, J Marshall
1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland 21250, USA. cronin@umbc.edu
Nature
|June 1, 2001
Summary
Mantis shrimp possess unique color vision, with individual photoreceptors fine-tuned to their specific ocean depth light environment. This adaptation allows for optimized visual perception across diverse underwater conditions.
Area of Science:
- * Animal behavior and sensory biology
- * Vision science and photoreceptor function
Background:
- * Species typically share uniform color vision systems.
- * Diverse light environments pose challenges for a single visual system design.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To investigate the adaptability of color vision in mantis shrimp (Haptosquilla trispinosa).
- * To determine if individual mantis shrimp adjust their photoreceptor sensitivity to local light conditions.
Main Methods:
- * Analysis of photoreceptor spectral sensitivity in Haptosquilla trispinosa.
- * Examination of optical filters associated with photoreceptors.
Main Results:
- * Long-wavelength color receptors in Haptosquilla trispinosa are individually tuned.
- * Photoreceptor spectral sensitivity is adjusted by filters that vary among individuals.
- * Tuning correlates with the local light environment at different ocean depths.
Conclusions:
- * Mantis shrimp exhibit remarkable individual plasticity in their color vision.
- * This adaptation enhances visual performance in variable underwater light environments.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Vision
Vision is the result of light being detected and transduced into neural signals by the retina of the eye. This information is then further analyzed and interpreted by the brain. First, light enters the front of the eye and is focused by the cornea and lens onto the retina—a thin sheet of neural tissue lining the back of the eye. Because of refraction through the convex lens of the eye, images are projected onto the retina upside-down and reversed.
01:20Anatomy of the Eyeball
The eye is a spherical, hollow structure composed of three tissue layers. The outer layer — the fibrous tunic, comprises the sclera — a white structure — and the cornea, which is transparent. The sclera encompasses some of the ocular surface, most of which is not visible. However, the 'white of the eye' is distinctively visible in humans compared to other species. The cornea, a clear covering at the front of the eye, enables light penetration. The eye's middle layer, the vascular tunic,...
01:22Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways
At the molecular level, visual signals trigger transformations in photopigment molecules, resulting in changes in the photoreceptor cell's membrane potential. The photon's energy level is denoted by its wavelength, with each specific wavelength of visible light associated with a distinct color. The spectral range of visible light, classified as electromagnetic radiation, spans from 380 to 720 nm. Electromagnetic radiation wavelengths exceeding 720 nm fall under the infrared category, whereas...
01:15Depth Perception and Spatial Vision
Depth perception is the ability to perceive objects three-dimensionally. It relies on two types of cues: binocular and monocular. Binocular cues depend on the combination of images from both eyes and how the eyes work together. Since the eyes are in slightly different positions, each eye captures a slightly different image. This disparity between images, known as binocular disparity, helps the brain interpret depth. When the brain compares these images, it determines the distance to an object.
01:24Color Vision
Color perception begins in the retina, the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye. Two main theories explain how colors are seen: the trichromatic theory and the opponent-process theory. The trichromatic theory, proposed by Thomas Young in 1802 and extended by Hermann von Helmholtz in 1852, suggests that color vision is based on three types of cone receptors in the retina. These cones are sensitive to different but overlapping ranges of wavelengths corresponding to red, blue, and green.
01:12Perceptual Constancy
Perceptual constancy is the ability to recognize that objects remain consistent and unchanged even when their appearance varies due to changes in sensory input. There are four main types of perceptual constancy: size constancy, shape constancy, color constancy, and brightness constancy.
Size constancy is the recognition that an object remains the same size, even when its image on the retina changes. For instance, a bus is perceived to be large enough to carry people, even if it looks tiny from...
Size constancy is the recognition that an object remains the same size, even when its image on the retina changes. For instance, a bus is perceived to be large enough to carry people, even if it looks tiny from...