Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Vision

Vision

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.

Visual System

Visual System

Light enters the eye through the cornea, a transparent, dome-shaped surface covering the surface of the eyeball that helps to direct and focus incoming light. This light is then channeled toward the pupil, an adjustable opening whose size is controlled by the iris. The iris, a pigmented muscle, regulates the amount of light entering the eye by contracting or dilating the pupil, thereby ensuring optimal light levels for clear vision.
Once through the pupil, the light passes through the lens, a...

Parallel Processing

Parallel Processing

The brain processes sensory information rapidly due to parallel processing, which involves sending data across multiple neural pathways at the same time. This method allows the brain to manage various sensory qualities, such as shapes, colors, movements, and locations, all concurrently. For instance, when observing a forest landscape, the brain simultaneously processes the movement of leaves, the shapes of trees, the depth between them, and the various shades of green. This enables a quick and...

Depth Perception and Spatial Vision

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.

Predator-Prey Interactions

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...

Perceptual Constancy

Perceptual 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...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Interspecific size regularities in tropical felid assemblages.

Oecologia·2017

Same author

Comparison of electric field strength and spatial distribution of electroconvulsive therapy and magnetic seizure therapy in a realistic human head model.

European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists·2016

Same author

New light on forest shade.

Trends in ecology & evolution·2011

Same author

Whorled, wiled webs.

Trends in ecology & evolution·2011

Same author

Countershading: Universally deceptive or deceptively universal?

Trends in ecology & evolution·2011

Same author

In vivo snapshot hyperspectral image analysis of age-related macular degeneration.

Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual International Conference·2010

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Visualizing Visual Adaptation

Visualizing Visual Adaptation

Published on: April 24, 2017

Visual textures, machine vision and animal camouflage.

R A Kiltie¹, A F Laine

¹Richard Kiltie is at the Dept of Zoology, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA.

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

|January 18, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study reviews psychophysics research on visual texture perception, suggesting human vision adaptations may counter prey camouflage. It explores how animal coats function as visual textures, integrating computer vision for new insights.

More Related Videos

Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning

Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning

Published on: November 2, 2012

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Visualizing Visual Adaptation

Visualizing Visual Adaptation

Published on: April 24, 2017

Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning

Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning

Published on: November 2, 2012

Area of Science:

Visual perception
Animal coloration
Evolutionary biology

Background:

Visual texture perception and discrimination have been studied for 30 years, primarily in humans.
Findings in human vision may apply to other vertebrates, potentially reflecting adaptations against prey camouflage.
The link between psychophysics and evolutionary biology regarding animal camouflage is underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

To review key conclusions from psychophysics on texture discrimination.
To explore how animal coats can be analyzed as visual textures.
To propose interdisciplinary approaches combining computer vision and psychophysics for understanding animal coat patterns.

Main Methods:

Literature review of psychophysics research on visual texture perception.
Analysis of existing findings through the lens of animal coloration and camouflage.
Proposal for integrating computer vision techniques with psychophysical methods.

Main Results:

Human visual system exhibits sophisticated texture discrimination abilities.
These abilities may have evolved as adaptive strategies to detect camouflaged prey.
Animal coats present complex visual textures relevant to predator-prey dynamics.

Conclusions:

Psychophysical insights into texture perception offer a valuable framework for studying animal camouflage.
Further research integrating computer vision can illuminate the functional significance of animal coat patterns.
Bridging psychophysics and evolutionary biology can yield novel perspectives on visual ecology.