Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Visualizing Visual Adaptation
Published on: April 24, 2017
The evolution of fidelity in sensory systems
Andrew T Sornborger1, Malcolm R Adams
1Department of Mathematics and Faculty of Engineering, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA. ats@math.uga.edu
Abstract:
We investigate the effect that noise has on the evolution of measurement strategies and competition in populations of organisms with sensory systems of differing fidelities. We address two questions motivated by experimental and theoretical work on sensory systems in noisy environments: (1) How complex must a sensory system be in order to face the need to develop adaptive measurement strategies that change depending on the noise level? (2) Does the principle of competitive exclusion for sensory systems force one population to win out over all others? We find that the answer to the first question is that even very simple sensory systems will need to change measurement strategies depending on the amount of noise in the environment. Interestingly, the answer to the second question is that, in general, at most two populations with different fidelity sensory systems may co-exist within a single environment.
Related Concept Videos
What is a Sensory System?
Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System
The receptor level:
The receptor level is the first stage of sensation. It involves the detection of a stimulus by specialized sensory receptors. The stimulus must arrive within the receptor's receptive field. Next, the receptor converts the energy of the stimulus...
The Evidence for Evolution
Introduction to Sensory Receptors
The first classification criterion is based on cell type, position, and function. Some receptor cells are neurons with free nerve endings, where their dendrites are embedded in the...
Introduction to Special Senses
Evolution of New Traits in Microbes

