Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Predator-Prey Interactions02:39

Predator-Prey Interactions

20.9K
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.
20.9K
Photoreceptors and Plant Responses to Light02:00

Photoreceptors and Plant Responses to Light

28.2K
Light plays a significant role in regulating the growth and development of plants. In addition to providing energy for photosynthesis, light provides other important cues to regulate a range of developmental and physiological responses in plants.
28.2K
Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy01:05

Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy

10.9K
Total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy or TIRF is an advanced microscopic technique used to visualize fluorophores in samples close to a solid surface with a higher refractive index, such as a glass coverslip. TIRF only allows fluorophores in proximity to the solid surface to be excited. When light from a medium with a lower refractive index (such as air) hits the glass coverslip at a critical angle, the light undergoes total internal reflection stead of passing through the glass.
10.9K
Channel Rhodopsins01:11

Channel Rhodopsins

3.0K
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.
Rhodopsins belong to the family of cell surface proteins called G-protein coupled receptors,...
3.0K
Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways01:22

Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways

8.5K
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,...
8.5K
Color Vision01:24

Color Vision

1.2K
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.
1.2K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Ethical Responsibility in the Off-Label Use of AI in Medical Imaging.

The Journal of clinical ethics·2026
Same author

Shining a light on camouflage evolution: Using genetic algorithms to determine the effects of geometry and lighting on optimal camouflage.

PloS one·2026
Same author

Task-Based Sampling of Patient Data for Rigorous Machine Learning/AI Performance Assessment.

Journal of imaging informatics in medicine·2026
Same author

Artificial Intelligence Scribes: Enhancing Workflow Efficiency at What Expense?

Annals of internal medicine·2026
Same author

Matching Multiple Backgrounds: Egg Camouflage Across Different Habitats in a Shorebird.

Ecology and evolution·2026
Same author

Parental Provisioning in an Urban Apex Predator.

Ecology and evolution·2025
Same journal

Increased rates of hybridization in swordtails are associated with water pollution.

Current biology : CB·2026
Same journal

Visual uncertainty and task demands shape active sensing strategies in mice.

Current biology : CB·2026
Same journal

An adaptable, self-organizing, single-cell morphology circuit optimizes suctorian predatory trap structure.

Current biology : CB·2026
Same journal

Temporal tuning of switch-like virulence expression resolves environmental uncertainty through phenotypic heterogeneity.

Current biology : CB·2026
Same journal

An abstract relational map emerges in the human medial prefrontal cortex with consolidation.

Current biology : CB·2026
Same journal

Phloem evolved gradually and asynchronously to xylem in early vascular plants.

Current biology : CB·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 30, 2025

Manipulation of Color Patterns in Jumping Spiders for Use in Behavioral Experiments
09:03

Manipulation of Color Patterns in Jumping Spiders for Use in Behavioral Experiments

Published on: May 21, 2019

10.0K

Iridescence as Camouflage.

Karin Kjernsmo1, Heather M Whitney1, Nicholas E Scott-Samuel2

  • 1School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK.

Current Biology : CB
|January 25, 2020
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Animal iridescence, like that seen in jewel beetles, can actually be a form of camouflage. This study shows iridescent coloration helps protect beetles from bird predators by blending them into their environment.

Keywords:
Sternocera aequisignataanti-predator adaptationcamouflage, gloss, specular reflectioniridescencepredation, protective coloration

More Related Videos

Measuring Spatially- and Directionally-varying Light Scattering from Biological Material
11:57

Measuring Spatially- and Directionally-varying Light Scattering from Biological Material

Published on: May 20, 2013

13.9K
Visualizing Visual Adaptation
04:43

Visualizing Visual Adaptation

Published on: April 24, 2017

9.5K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Dec 30, 2025

Manipulation of Color Patterns in Jumping Spiders for Use in Behavioral Experiments
09:03

Manipulation of Color Patterns in Jumping Spiders for Use in Behavioral Experiments

Published on: May 21, 2019

10.0K
Measuring Spatially- and Directionally-varying Light Scattering from Biological Material
11:57

Measuring Spatially- and Directionally-varying Light Scattering from Biological Material

Published on: May 20, 2013

13.9K
Visualizing Visual Adaptation
04:43

Visualizing Visual Adaptation

Published on: April 24, 2017

9.5K

Area of Science:

  • Animal coloration
  • Evolutionary biology
  • Ecology

Background:

  • Biological iridescence is widespread but often assumed to be for signaling.
  • Its potential role in concealment has been largely overlooked due to counterintuitive visual properties.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if the color changeability of biological iridescence functions as camouflage.
  • To provide empirical evidence for iridescence as a protective adaptation against predation.

Main Methods:

  • Field experiments using iridescent and non-iridescent jewel beetle models.
  • Assessing survival rates and detectability by wild birds and humans.
  • Analyzing the effect of background glossiness on camouflage effectiveness.

Main Results:

  • Iridescent beetle models showed significantly higher survival rates against bird predation.
  • Iridescence reduced detectability by both bird and human observers.
  • Glossy backgrounds enhanced the camouflage effect of iridescence.

Conclusions:

  • Biological iridescence serves as an effective camouflage mechanism, not just for signaling.
  • This finding offers an adaptive explanation for the prevalence of iridescence across species.
  • Prey can optimize survival by selecting environments that enhance their camouflage.