Are insect displays tuned to insect vision?

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event Are insect displays tuned to insect vision? Bodo Wilts1* and Doekele G. Stavenga1 1 University of Groningen, Computational Physics, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, Netherlands The biological world has exploited photonic structures since the Cambrian explosion over 500 million years ago, which started with an enormous diversification of insect coloration as well as visual systems. The (co-)evolution of prey and predators has since led to an amazing diversity of coloration mechanisms that create bright colors to which animal visual systems are presumably tuned. However, whether or not the visual system and the colored display of different animals are indeed tuned remains still an unsolved question. We have studied the coloration of different insects, specifically butterflies and beetles, where intricate optical structures have evolved to reflect light in unique ways. Organismal colors can be due to structural complex arrangements on the mesoscale (structural colors) or/and due to pigments absorbing in a restricted wavelength range (pigmentary colors). Insect displays often fulfill specific biological functions. Animal displays most likely function in social and intraspecific signaling, as e.g. in the vividly colored pierid butterflies. More specialized functions are aposematic (warning) signaling, as seen in the Emerald-Cattleheart butterfly, Parides sesostris, or camouflage in foliaceous environments (Green Hairstreak, Callophrys rubi, Angled Sunbeam, Curetis acuta, and Diamond Weevil, Entimus imperialis). We have characterized the photonic structures found in these insects and analyzed their spatial and spectral optical properties. To establish the (potential) tuning of insect displays to the visual system of conspecifics and/or predators, we compare the spectral properties of the displays with the spectral sensitivities of the insects' photoreceptors and relate that to modeling of the optical input of individual photoreceptors by finite-difference time domain (FDTD) techniques. Figure 1 Keywords: tuning, Reflection, Finite-difference method, signalling, Butterflies Conference: International Conference on Invertebrate Vision, Fjälkinge, Sweden, 1 Aug - 8 Aug, 2013. Presentation Type: Oral presentation preferred Topic: Eye design, optics and spatial vision Citation: Wilts B and Stavenga DG (2019). Are insect displays tuned to insect vision?. Front. Physiol. Conference Abstract: International Conference on Invertebrate Vision. doi: 10.3389/conf.fphys.2013.25.00105 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 27 Feb 2013; Published Online: 09 Dec 2019. * Correspondence: Mr. Bodo Wilts, University of Groningen, Computational Physics, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, Groningen, 9747AG, Netherlands, bodo.wilts@plus.ac.at Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Bodo Wilts Doekele G Stavenga Google Bodo Wilts Doekele G Stavenga Google Scholar Bodo Wilts Doekele G Stavenga PubMed Bodo Wilts Doekele G Stavenga Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.