Polarisation signals: a new currency for communication

Marshall, N. Justin; Powell, S.; Cronin, Thomas W.; Caldwell, Roy L.; Johnsen, Sönke; Gruev, Viktor; Chiou, Tsyr Huei; Roberts, Nicholas W.; How, Martin J.

doi:10.1242/jeb.134213

Cited by 29 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 131 publications

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“…Many invertebrates have highly developed senses of polarization that are used variously for navigation, habitat selection, and communication. 1 Although amplitude and wavelength are perceived by humans as brightness and color, respectively, there are no familiar sensory correlates of polarization. However, under specific conditions of illumination with a uniform field of blue linearly polarized light, a faint hourglass-shaped pattern, referred to as Haidinger's brushes (HB), can be perceived oriented perpendicular to the axis of polarization.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Clinical Application of Polarization Pattern Perception

Misson

Anderson

Armstrong

et al. 2020

Trans. Vis. Sci. Tech.

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Purpose Determine the repeatability of and optimum stimulus parameters for testing polarization pattern perception in a real-world clinical population, and assess the ability of polarization perception to distinguish normal from abnormal eyes. Methods Polarization perception was evaluated in staff and patients attending ophthalmology clinics at Warwick Hospital, UK. A series of visual stimuli were presented in pseudorandom order using a liquid-crystal-display–based polarization pattern generator. Stimuli included geometric patterns, gratings, checkerboards, and optotypes. Participants had one or both eyes diagnosed as normal or abnormal following ophthalmic examination, optical coherence tomography, and measures of visual acuity. Measurement scores were assigned to the eye(s) of each participant depending on the total number of stimuli perceived or identified. Results Stimuli covered the range of spatial scales resolvable within polarization perception by normal and abnormal eyes. Different stimuli had different saliencies. For each stimulus type, polarization perception in the abnormal group was significantly reduced compared with normal eyes ( P < 0.001). Relative stimulus salience was broadly similar for normal-eye and abnormal-eye viewing groups, being greatest for radially symmetric patterns and least for optotypes. Checkerboard pattern salience had an inverse logarithmic relationship with check fundamental spatial frequency. A devised metric covering the dynamic range of polarization perception was repeatable, and the score derived from the metric was reduced in the abnormal group compared with the normal group ( P < 0.001). Conclusions Clinically useful metrics of polarization perception distinguish between normal and abnormal eyes. Translational Relevance Perception of spatial patterns formed of non-uniform polarization fields has potential as a quantitative clinical diagnostic measurement.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This mechanism of detecting polarization signals differs from that of invertebrates, which have structurally different photoreceptors that are intrinsically polarization sensitive. 1 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Clinical Application of Polarization Pattern Perception

Misson

Anderson

Armstrong

et al. 2020

Trans. Vis. Sci. Tech.

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“…Furthermore, some aquatic animals like cuttlefish or different stomatopods possess polarization vision (Marshall, Cronin, Shashar, & Land, ; Shashar, Rutledge, & Cronin, ). This makes polarized light a further candidate for a private communication channel (Marshall et al, ). However, our knowledge about the function of polarized light in animal communication is currently limited to few species and a limited range of contexts (i.e., mate and habitat choice or comouflage, see Marshall et al, for a review), making communication using polarized light a promising topic for future studies.…”

Section: Visual Cuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This makes polarized light a further candidate for a private communication channel (Marshall et al, ). However, our knowledge about the function of polarized light in animal communication is currently limited to few species and a limited range of contexts (i.e., mate and habitat choice or comouflage, see Marshall et al, for a review), making communication using polarized light a promising topic for future studies. It is important to notice that private communication channels only work if predators do not possess comparable sensory capabilities.…”

Section: Visual Cuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aggressive communication in aquatic environments

Frommen

2019

Functional Ecology

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1. Aggressive interactions are ubiquitous among animals. They are either directed towards heterospecifics, like predators or competitors, or conspecifics. During intraspecific encounters, aggression often serves to establish hierarchies within the social group. Thus, in order to understand the mechanisms mediating social organization, it is important to comprehend the escalation and avoidance of aggressive behaviour.2. Overt aggressive interactions are costly not only in terms of increased risk of injury or death, but also due to opportunity costs and energy expenditure. In order to reduce these costs, animals are expected to communicate their strength and aggressive motivation prior to fights. For this purpose, they use different means of communication in various sensory modalities, that is visual, acoustic, chemical, mechanosensory and electric cues. These different modalities can convey different or similar information, underlining the importance of understanding the multimodal communication of aggression.3. Thus far, most studies on signalling during aggressive encounters have focussed on visual or acoustic cues, most likely as these are the two modalities predominantly used by humans. However, depending on the species' ecology, visual or acoustic cues might play a minor role for many species. Especially in aquatic systems, visual communication is often hampered due to high levels of turbidity or limited light conditions. Here, alternative modalities such as chemical, mechanical or electrical cues are expected to play a prominent role. 4. In this review, I provide an overview of different modalities used during aggressive communication in aquatic organisms. I highlight the importance of studying the role of multimodal communication during aggressive encounters in general and discuss the importance of understanding aquatic communication in the light of conservation and animal welfare issues. K E Y W O R D S acoustic cues, aggression, chemical cues, contest theory, electric cues, mechanosensory cues, multimodal communication, visual cues | 365 Functional Ecology FROMMEN 1 | INTRODUC TI ON Most interactions between individuals involve some form of communication. Animals communicate when coordinating cooperative behaviours, choosing a mating partner, raising their offspring or avoiding predators. Understanding animal communication is thus crucial to understand animal behaviour in general. Consequently, animal communication has become a central topic in behavioural research within the last decades, witnessed by the publication of considerable numbers of scientific studies and textbooks focussing on different facets of this fascinating topic, ranging from the physiological foundations to the evolutionary consequences of animal communication (e.g., Bradbury & Vehrencamp, 1998; Maynard Smith & Harper, 2003; Stevens, 2013). Given the ubiquitous importance of animal communication in multifarious fields of research, it is not astonishing that there exists a huge variety of different definitions of terms. Box 1 provides ...

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“…Reflection and refraction of light from particles, inside liquids, or reflection off solid surfaces can make the light waves vibrate in the same direction. [Cronin et al, 2003, Marshall et al, 2019. Polarised light (PL) has an average e-vector aligned orientation (linear polarised light) or rotating in a single plane (circularly polarised light) (Fig.…”

Section: Polarised Visionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neuroethology of the visual communication in the mourning cuttlefish Sepia plangon

Galan¹

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Animals communicate in response to different tasks, including alarm calls, allocation of food, courtship, and mating. Different types of signals are used by animals to communicate, such as chemical signals, vocalisations, colour patterns, and movements. Animal colouration and visual communication have fascinated researchers for decades. Behavioural, anatomical and functional studies are commonly used to study visual communication in both vertebrates and invertebrates. Cuttlefish are well known for possessing intricate body patterns. Cuttlefish use these colourful and dynamic displays to communicate with mates, camouflage, and pursue prey. The cuttlefish central nervous system processes all the visual stimuli and coordinates the expression of postures, body movements, skin textures and colourations that form a body pattern. Interestingly, many species of cuttlefish are colour blind but possess polarisation vision and polarisation patterns in their bodies, which are potentially used for communication with conspecifics. The objective of this thesis is to analyse the mechanisms influencing visual communication and colour patterns in a small coastal cuttlefish Sepia plangon. The mourning cuttlefish S. plangon is a small species with a mantle length (ML) < 140 mm. This species inhabits coastal waters and prefers to forage in seaweed and seagrass environments. It is located to a maximum depth of 85 meters and is active during the day. After introducing the topic of this thesis in detail in chapter 1, we analysed the ontogenetic changes of S. plangon body patterns from embryos to adults in chapter 2. The first description of S. plangon eggs and embryos is included in this chapter. However, because the eggs were collected from their natural environment, only late embryonic development was described. The number and complexity of the body patterns of S. plangon changed throughout the lifespan, transitioning from three body patterns in embryos to a maximum of 18 in males. Seven patterns were exclusive to males and used only during reproductive behaviour. Therefore, in chapter 3, we analysed courtship, mating, and agonistic competition of S. plangon. Three sex ratios were used to study mate choice: 1Male(M):1F(F), 2M:1F, and 1M:2F. Polarised and unpolarised filters were placed between the animals to test the effect of modifying polarised stimuli in the reproductive behaviour of S. plangon. 3D printed cuttlefish models were used to manipulate specific traits (two body sizes, two postures, four body patterns) and determine which factor was crucial to successful mating. The components of the body patterns, reproductive behaviours and visual signals were analysed. We found that only sex ratio had a significant effect on male courtship frequency. Agonistic competition between males included visual signals, and most males avoided fighting. Small males (ML < 80 mm) used a deceptive display to mimic female patterns, avoid male competitions, and mate with females. The dynamic changes in body patterns were the most crucial element for ...

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Polarisation signals: a new currency for communication

Cited by 29 publications

References 131 publications

The Clinical Application of Polarization Pattern Perception

The Clinical Application of Polarization Pattern Perception

Aggressive communication in aquatic environments

Neuroethology of the visual communication in the mourning cuttlefish Sepia plangon

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