Hide and seek on a coral reef: how to avoid being found and eaten.

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event Hide and seek on a coral reef: how to avoid being found and eaten. Genevieve A. Phillips1*, Karen L. Cheney2 and N. J. Marshall1 1 The University of Queensland, Queensland Brain Institute, Australia 2 The University of Queensland, The School of Biological Sciences, Australia Many small fish on coral reefs have body patterns that are likely to provide visual concealment from predators: either by matching an aspect of the background (background matching); or disguising their body outline (disruptive colouration). Conversely, conspicuous body patterns are often used to advertise the presence of an organism: this is useful in both sexual selection, territoriality or when advertising distastefulness or toxicity (aposematism). Nudibranchs are opisthobranch molluscs that display a range of highly contrasting and apparently conspicuous body patterns that likely advertise their toxicity to potential predators. The majority of studies into animal body patterns have quantified body patterns based on the spectral contrast of an animal and that of the background; however the contrast of other pattern components such as spatial frequency and luminance have largely been ignored. Moreover, few studies have also incorporated modelling the target and background through the eyes of ecologically relevant predators; an important component of visual ecology studies into the function of body patterns. In this study we investigated the cryptic potential of a variety of prey body patterns, from the perspective of several reef predators (fish, crustacean and human). We measured the spatial frequency contrast of the prey body pattern and that of the background, using data about the predators’ visual systems. Behavioural tests were used to determine how the spatial frequency contrast between prey and the background affects predation likelihood (Fig.1). Using image statistics, retinal wholemounts and visual modelling, we show that predator visual systems are a key selection pressure in the evolution of coral reef prey body patterns. Figure 1 Keywords: crypsis, conspicuousness, body patterns, fish vision, Visual ecology, retinal wholemount, visual modelling, Spatial Frequency Analysis, Behavioural Ecology Conference: International Conference on Invertebrate Vision, Fjälkinge, Sweden, 1 Aug - 8 Aug, 2013. Presentation Type: Poster presentation preferred Topic: Colour and polarisation vision Citation: Phillips GA, Cheney KL and Marshall NJ (2019). Hide and seek on a coral reef: how to avoid being found and eaten.. Front. Physiol. Conference Abstract: International Conference on Invertebrate Vision. doi: 10.3389/conf.fphys.2013.25.00075 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: 23 Apr 2013; Published Online: 09 Dec 2019. * Correspondence: Miss. Genevieve A Phillips, The University of Queensland, Queensland Brain Institute, Brisbane, Australia, g.phillips2@uq.edu.au 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 Genevieve A Phillips Karen L Cheney N. J Marshall Google Genevieve A Phillips Karen L Cheney N. J Marshall Google Scholar Genevieve A Phillips Karen L Cheney N. J Marshall PubMed Genevieve A Phillips Karen L Cheney N. J Marshall 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.