Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026
08:33
Determination of Photoreceptor Cell Spectral Sensitivity in an Insect Model from In Vivo Intracellular Recordings
Published on: February 26, 2016
Reflection-polarization patterns at flat water surfaces and their relevance for insect polarization vision
1Biophysics Group, Department of Atomic Physics, Lorand Eotvos University, Puskin u. 5-7, Budapest, H-1088, Hungary
Journal of Theoretical Biology
|July 7, 1995
Summary
Horizontally polarized ultraviolet light reflected from water surfaces is key for aquatic insects finding habitats. This study analyzes skylight polarization patterns reflected from water, comparing them to celestial patterns to understand insect attraction.
Area of Science:
- Optics
- Insect Behavior
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Horizontally polarized ultraviolet light reflected from water is a primary cue for aquatic insects.
- Understanding these polarization properties is crucial for explaining insect habitat selection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compute and compare polarization patterns of skylight reflected from water surfaces with celestial polarization patterns.
- To investigate the influence of factors like sky conditions and depolarizing clouds on these patterns.
Main Methods:
- Calculated degree and direction of polarization for skylight reflected from a flat water surface under various sky conditions (overcast, clear).
- Utilized the semi-empirical Rayleigh model for blue sky polarization and Fresnel formulae for reflection polarization.
- Analyzed reflectivity patterns and the impact of depolarizing clouds.
Main Results:
- Computed polarization patterns of reflected skylight as a function of solar zenith distance.
- Demonstrated the effect of depolarizing clouds on reflection-polarization patterns.
- Calculated reflectivity patterns for clear and overcast skies.
Conclusions:
- The study provides insights into the optical cues guiding aquatic insects to water.
- Discusses the adaptations of insect visual systems to water surface polarization patterns, exemplified by waterstriders, backswimmers, and dragonflies.
Related Concept Videos
01:11Channel 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.
Rhodopsins belong to the family of cell surface proteins called G-protein coupled receptors,...
Rhodopsins belong to the family of cell surface proteins called G-protein coupled receptors,...
01:05Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy
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.
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...