No evidence for a ‘warning effect’ of blue light in roe deer

Falko Brieger,Robert Hagen,Jim‐Lino Kämmerle,Sylvia Ortmann,Nadja Martschuk

doi:10.2981/wlb.00331

Falko Brieger, Robert Hagen + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.2981/wlb.00331

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Abstract

Physiological investigations of cervid eyes have revealed two different types of cones indicating high visual sensitivity in the ‘blue’ and ‘green’ spectral range (400–450 nm and 510–540 nm). Although detailed knowledge about light perception in large mammals is still missing, light reflecting devices such as wildlife warning reflectors are frequently used in animalvehicle collision mitigation. Light of wavelengths in the range of 440–490 nm (‘blue’ light) has recently been advocated to evoke a warning effect in cervids due to its rare occurrence in the natural environment. We conducted a behavioural study with captive roe deer Capreolus capreolus to investigate whether roe deer exhibit a specific behavioural response to ‘blue’ light (wavelengths 440–490 nm). Compartmented feeders were pseudo‐randomly illuminated with either ‘blue’ (colour: blue, 440–490 nm) or ‘warm‐white’ light (colour: yellow‐orange, 575–675 nm), or left unilluminated to assess changes in feeding time and feeder‐compartment choice in dependence of illumination. Although feeding times were found to be generally shorter under illumination there was no difference between illumination types. Moreover, roe deer favoured the illuminated feeder compartment over non‐illuminated ones. Our results highlight that roe deer differentiate between light and no light conditions while ‘blue’ light (440–490 nm) did not exert a ‘warning effect’ in roe deer.

Highlights

BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research
We conducted a behavioural study with captive roe deer Capreolus capreolus to investigate whether roe deer exhibit a specific behavioural response to ‘blue’ light
BlueL/WhiteL: ‘blue’ or ‘warm-white’ illumination compared to no-light; BoxC: central feeder box as compared to outer boxes; PL2: experimental phase 2 compared to phase 1; PN1/PN2: control phase 1 and 2; β: model parameter estimate; SE: standard error of the model beta. This is the first behavioural study that has investigated the potential of light with different wavelengths to alter the behaviour of European roe deer

Summary

Introduction

BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research. Physiological investigations of cervid eyes have revealed two different types of cones indicating high visual sensitivity in the ‘blue’ and ‘green’ spectral range (400–450 nm and 510–540 nm). Light of wavelengths in the range of 440–490 nm (‘blue’ light) has recently been advocated to evoke a warning effect in cervids due to its rare occurrence in the natural environment. In the context of deer (Cervidae)-vehicle collision mitigation, light of wavelengths between 440–490 nm (‘blue’ light) has recently been advocated as a ‘warning colour’ for deer in press due to its rare occurrence in the. While light in general may affect deer behaviour (Blackwell and Seamans 2009), currently there is only little indication that light of any wavelength induces a specific behavioural response that could be utilized in the mitigation of deer-vehicle collisions

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