Abstract
‘Motion dazzle camouflage’ is the name for the putative effects of highly conspicuous, often repetitive or complex, patterns on parameters important in prey capture, such as the perception of speed, direction and identity. Research into motion dazzle camouflage is increasing our understanding of the interactions between visual tracking, the confusion effect and defensive coloration. However, there is a paucity of research into the effects of contrast on motion dazzle camouflage: is maximal contrast a prerequisite for effectiveness? If not, this has important implications for our recognition of the phenotype and understanding of the function and mechanisms of potential motion dazzle camouflage patterns. Here we tested human participants' ability to track one moving target among many identical distractors with surface patterns designed to test the influence of these factors. In line with previous evidence, we found that targets with stripes parallel to the object direction of motion were hardest to track. However, reduction in contrast did not significantly influence this result. This finding may bring into question the utility of current definitions of motion dazzle camouflage, and means that some animal patterns, such as aposematic or mimetic stripes, may have previously unrecognized multiple functions.
Highlights
A common solution to the need to avoid detection and capture in animals is through camouflage
First suggested by Abbot Thayer [1], motion dazzle camouflage is thought to comprise of high-contrast geometric patterns which may interrupt the systems of motion detection in visual perception and leave the observer unable to correctly perceive the speed
The authors suggest that this is evidence that motion dazzle camouflage is interacting with the confusion effect; the phenomenon of decreased predator attack success with increased prey group size
Summary
A common solution to the need to avoid detection and capture in animals is through camouflage. When concealing coloration fails, one theorized mechanism through which coloration may interfere with the capture of an animal is that of so-called motion dazzle camouflage. A study by Hogan et al [10] indicated that there is a benefit to some high-contrast colorations when targets occur in moving groups of identical animals. The authors suggest that this is evidence that motion dazzle camouflage is interacting with the confusion effect; the phenomenon of decreased predator attack success with increased prey group size (or density [11,12,13])
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