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Related Concept Videos

Predator-Prey Interactions02:39

Predator-Prey Interactions

Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.Although predation is commonly associated with carnivory, for...
Channel Rhodopsins01:11

Channel Rhodopsins

Most organisms use photoreceptors to sense and respond to light. Examples of photoreceptors include bacteriorhodopsins and bacteriophytochromes in some bacteria, phytochromes in plants, and rhodopsins in the photoreceptor cells of the vertebral retina. The light-sensitive property of these receptors is because of the bound chromophores, such as bilin in the phytochromes and retinal in the rhodopsins.
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Fixed Action Patterns01:06

Fixed Action Patterns

A fixed action pattern (FAP) is a specific, hard-wired sequence of behaviors that occurs in response to an external stimulus, called a sign stimulus. The behavior is “fixed” because it is essentially unchangeable—proceeding similarly across individuals of a species every time it occurs.
What is Natural Selection?01:32

What is Natural Selection?

Natural selection is an evolutionary process in which individuals with survival-promoting traits reproduce at higher rates. These favorable traits become more common within a population or species. Naturally selected traits initially arise via random genetic mutations. In order for selection to occur, there must be variation within a population, the trait controlling the variation must be heritable, and there must be an evolutionary advantage for variation in the trait.The Theory of Natural...
Color Vision01:24

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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.
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Depth 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.

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A Method for Extracting Pigments from Squid Doryteuthis pealeii
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Night vision by cuttlefish enables changeable camouflage.

Justine J Allen1, Lydia M Mäthger, Kendra C Buresch

  • 1Marine Resources Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA. jallen@mbl.edu

The Journal of Experimental Biology
|November 16, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Cuttlefish can adapt their camouflage patterns at night, even in starlight. This study shows their excellent night vision allows for adaptive camouflage, crucial for avoiding predators or ambushing prey in low light.

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Area of Science:

  • Marine Biology
  • Animal Behavior
  • Vision Science

Background:

  • Predation occurs both day and night, necessitating antipredator behaviors in low light.
  • The giant Australian cuttlefish (Sepia apama) exhibits environmental camouflage at night.
  • The ability of cuttlefish to dynamically alter camouflage in dim light remains uninvestigated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) can change camouflage patterns at night.
  • To determine if cuttlefish camouflage is adaptable under extremely low light conditions.

Main Methods:

  • Monitoring Sepia officinalis camouflage during the day-to-night transition under natural light cycles.
  • Testing cuttlefish response to substrate changes in dim light (0.003 lux) within a controlled darkroom setting.

Main Results:

  • Cuttlefish camouflage patterns were observed to be adaptable during the night.
  • Animals successfully altered their body patterns in response to changes in their visual environment under dim light.

Conclusions:

  • Sepia officinalis possesses the perceptual capability for adaptive camouflage in low-light conditions.
  • Cuttlefish utilize their acute night vision for effective camouflage, aiding in both predation and predator avoidance.