Postscript: Conclusions, Implications, and Comment

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham R. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Partial Information ◽  
Sensory System ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Sensory Systems ◽  
Huge Amount ◽  
Trade Offs

The natural world contains a huge amount of constantly changing information but specializations within sensory systems mean that each species receives only a small part of that information. Information is filtered by sensory systems. We cannot assume what a bird can detect–it is important to measure its sensory capacities and to quantify the sensory challenges posed for the conduct of tasks in different environments. No sensory system can function adequately throughout the full ranges of stimuli that are found in the natural world. There have been many trade-offs in the evolution of particular sensory capacities and tradeoffs and complementarity between different sensory capacities within a species. Birds may often be guided by information at the limits of their sensory capacities. Information that guides behaviours may often be sparse and partial. Key behaviours may only be possible because of cognitive abilities which allow adequate interpretation of such partial information.

The Sensory Ecology of Birds

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham R. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Partial Information ◽  
Sensory System ◽  
Sensory Ecology ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Sensory Systems ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Predator Detection ◽  
Trade Offs

The natural world contains a huge amount of constantly changing information. Limitations on, and specializations within, sensory systems mean that each species receives only a small part of that information. In essence, information is filtered by sensory systems. Sensory ecology aims to understand the nature and functions of those filters for each species and sensory system. Fluxes of information, and the perceptual challenges posed by different natural environments, are so large that sensory and behavioural specializations have been inevitable. There have been many trade-offs in the evolution of sensory capacities, and trade-offs and complementarity between different sensory capacities within species. Many behavioural tasks may have influenced the evolution of sensory capacities in birds, but the principal drivers have been associated with just two tasksforaging and predator detection. The key task is the control of the position and timing of the approach of the bill towards a target. Other tasks, such as locomotion and reproduction, are achieved within the requirements of foraging and predator detection. Information thatguides behaviours may often be sparse and partial and key behaviours may only be possible because of cognitive abilities which allow adequate interpretation of partial information. Human modifications of natural environments present perceptual challenges that cannot always be met by the information available to particular birds. Mitigations of the negative effects of human intrusions into natural environments must take account of the sensory ecology of the affected species. Effects of environmental changes cannot be understood sufficiently by viewing them through the filters of human sensory systems.

General Principles for Sensory Coding

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatyana O. Sharpee
Keyword(s):  
Sensory System ◽  
Sensory Systems ◽  
Multiple Delays ◽  
Minimal Amount ◽  
Sensory Coding ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Comprehensive Framework ◽  
State Of The Environment ◽  
The Impact

Sensory systems exist to provide an organism with information about the state of the environment that can be used to guide future actions and decisions. Remarkably, two conceptually simple yet general theorems from information theory can be used to evaluate the performance of any sensory system. One theorem states that there is a minimal amount of energy that an organism has to spend in order to capture a given amount of information about the environment. The second theorem states that the maximum rate with which the organism can acquire resources from the environment, relative to its competitors, is limited by the information this organism collects about the environment, also relative to its competitors. These two theorems provide a scaffold for formulating and testing general principles of sensory coding but leave unanswered many important practical questions of implementation in neural circuits. These implementation questions have guided thinking in entire subfields of sensory neuroscience, and include: What features in the sensory environment should be measured? Given that we make decisions on a variety of time scales, how should one solve trade-offs between making simpler measurements to guide minimal decisions vs. more elaborate sensory systems that have to overcome multiple delays between sensation and action. Once we agree on the types of features that are important to represent, how should they be represented? How should resources be allocated between different stages of processing, and where is the impact of noise most damaging? Finally, one should consider trade-offs between implementing a fixed strategy vs. an adaptive scheme that readjusts resources based on current needs. Where adaptation is considered, under what conditions does it become optimal to switch strategies? Research over the past 60 years has provided answers to almost all of these questions but primarily in early sensory systems. Joining these answers into a comprehensive framework is a challenge that will help us understand who we are and how we can make better use of limited natural resources.

scholarly journals Neurophysiology goes wild: from exploring sensory coding in sound proof rooms to natural environments

2021 ◽  
Vol 207 (3) ◽  
pp. 303-319
Author(s):  
Heiner Römer
Keyword(s):  
Sensory System ◽  
Sensory Systems ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Sensory Coding ◽  
Noise Levels ◽  
Sensory Physiology ◽  
Sound Localisation ◽  
Physical Environments ◽  
History Of ◽  
Adaptive Behaviours

AbstractTo perform adaptive behaviours, animals have to establish a representation of the physical “outside” world. How these representations are created by sensory systems is a central issue in sensory physiology. This review addresses the history of experimental approaches toward ideas about sensory coding, using the relatively simple auditory system of acoustic insects. I will discuss the empirical evidence in support of Barlow’s “efficient coding hypothesis”, which argues that the coding properties of neurons undergo specific adaptations that allow insects to detect biologically important acoustic stimuli. This hypothesis opposes the view that the sensory systems of receivers are biased as a result of their phylogeny, which finally determine whether a sound stimulus elicits a behavioural response. Acoustic signals are often transmitted over considerable distances in complex physical environments with high noise levels, resulting in degradation of the temporal pattern of stimuli, unpredictable attenuation, reduced signal-to-noise levels, and degradation of cues used for sound localisation. Thus, a more naturalistic view of sensory coding must be taken, since the signals as broadcast by signallers are rarely equivalent to the effective stimuli encoded by the sensory system of receivers. The consequences of the environmental conditions for sensory coding are discussed.

scholarly journals Towards Using the Instrumented Timed Up-and-Go Test for Screening of Sensory System Performance for Balance Control in Older Adults

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Gerhardy ◽  
Katharina Gordt ◽  
Carl-Philipp Jansen ◽  
Michael Schwenk
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
System Performance ◽  
Fall Risk ◽  
Balance Control ◽  
Sensory System ◽  
Sensory Systems ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Functional Mobility ◽  
Timed Up And Go ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

Background: Decreasing performance of the sensory systems’ for balance control, including the visual, somatosensory and vestibular system, is associated with increased fall risk in older adults. A smartphone-based version of the Timed Up-and-Go (mTUG) may allow screening sensory balance impairments through mTUG subphases. The association between mTUG subphases and sensory system performance is examined. Methods: Functional mobility of forty-one community-dwelling older adults (>55 years) was measured using a validated mTUG. Duration of mTUG and its subphases ‘sit-to-walk’, ‘walking’, ‘turning’, ‘turn-to-sit’ and ‘sit-down’ were extracted. Sensory systems’ performance was quantified by validated posturography during standing (30 s) under different conditions. Visual, somatosensory and vestibular control ratios (CR) were calculated from posturography and correlated with mTUG subphases. Results: Vestibular CR correlated with mTUG total time (r = 0.54; p < 0.01), subphases ‘walking’ (r = 0.56; p < 0.01), and ‘turning’ (r = 0.43; p = 0.01). Somatosensory CR correlated with mTUG total time (r = 0.52; p = 0.01), subphases ‘walking’ (r = 0.52; p < 0.01) and ‘turning’ (r = 0.44; p < 0.01). Conclusions: Supporting the proposed approach, results indicate an association between specific mTUG subphases and sensory system performance. mTUG subphases ‘walking’ and ‘turning’ may allow screening for sensory system deterioration. This is a first step towards an objective, detailed and expeditious balance control assessment, however needing validation in a larger study.

scholarly journals An Artificial Vibrissa-Like Sensor for Detection of Flows

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (18) ◽  
pp. 3892
Author(s):  
Moritz Scharff ◽  
Philipp Schorr ◽  
Tatiana Becker ◽  
Christian Resagk ◽  
Jorge H. Alencastre Miranda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Compressible Flow ◽  
Surface Texture ◽  
Large Deflection ◽  
Sensory System ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Elastic Beam ◽  
Sensory Systems ◽  
Tactile Sensors ◽  
Complex Receptor ◽  
Simulation And Experiment

In nature, there are several examples of sophisticated sensory systems to sense flows, e.g., the vibrissae of mammals. Seals can detect the flow of their prey, and rats are able to perceive the flow of surrounding air. The vibrissae are arranged around muzzle of an animal. A vibrissa consists of two major components: a shaft (infector) and a follicle–sinus complex (receptor), whereby the base of the shaft is supported by the follicle-sinus complex. The vibrissa shaft collects and transmits stimuli, e.g., flows, while the follicle-sinus complex transduces them for further processing. Beside detecting flows, the animals can also recognize the size of an object or determine the surface texture. Here, the combination of these functionalities in a single sensory system serves as paragon for artificial tactile sensors. The detection of flows becomes important regarding the measurement of flow characteristics, e.g., velocity, as well as the influence of the sensor during the scanning of objects. These aspects are closely related to each other, but, how can the characteristics of flow be represented by the signals at the base of a vibrissa shaft or by an artificial vibrissa-like sensor respectively? In this work, the structure of a natural vibrissa shaft is simplified to a slender, cylindrical/tapered elastic beam. The model is analyzed in simulation and experiment in order to identify the necessary observables to evaluate flows based on the quasi-static large deflection of the sensor shaft inside a steady, non-uniform, laminar, in-compressible flow.

scholarly journals Treating hummingbirds as feathered bees: a case of ethological cross-pollination

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 20170610 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Pritchard ◽  
M. C. Tello Ramos ◽  
F. Muth ◽  
S. D. Healy
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Sensory Systems ◽  
Colour Space ◽  
Cross Pollination ◽  
Space And Time

Hummingbirds feed from hundreds of flowers every day. The properties of these flowers provide these birds with a wealth of information about colour, space and time to guide how they forage. To understand how hummingbirds might use this information, researchers have adapted established laboratory paradigms for use in the field. In recent years, however, experimental inspiration has come less from other birds, and more from looking at other nectar-feeders, particularly honeybees and bumblebees, which have been models for foraging behaviour and cognition for over a century. In a world in which the cognitive abilities of bees regularly make the news, research on the influence of ecology and sensory systems on bee behaviour is leading to novel insights in hummingbird cognition. As methods designed to study insects in the laboratory are being applied to hummingbirds in the field, converging methods can help us identify and understand convergence in cognition, behaviour and ecology.

scholarly journals Potential trade-off between vocal ornamentation and spatial ability in a songbird

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 20130344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kendra B. Sewall ◽  
Jill A. Soha ◽  
Susan Peters ◽  
Stephen Nowicki
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Spatial Task ◽  
Repertoire Size ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Brain Structure And Function ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Song Control ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Relationship

Bird song is hypothesized to be a reliable indicator of cognition because it depends on brain structure and function. Song features have been found to correlate positively with measures of cognition, but the relationship between song and cognition is complicated because not all cognitive abilities are themselves positively correlated. If cognition is not a unitary trait, developmental constraints on brain growth could generate trade-offs between some aspects of cognition and song. To further clarify the relationship between song and cognition in song sparrows ( Melospiza melodia ), we examined repertoire size and performance on a spatial task. We found an inverse relationship between repertoire size and speed of spatial learning and suggest that a developmental trade-off between the hippocampus and song control nuclei could be responsible for this relationship. By attending to male song, females may learn about a suite of cognitive abilities; this study suggests that females may glean information about a male's cognitive weaknesses as well as his strengths.

scholarly journals Neural representation of bat predation risk and evasive flight in moths: a modelling approach

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holger R. Goerlitz ◽  
Hannah M. ter Hofstede ◽  
Marc W. Holderied
Keyword(s):  
Frequency Tuning ◽  
Sensory System ◽  
Safety Margin ◽  
Sensory Systems ◽  
Neural Representation ◽  
Multiple Predators ◽  
Echolocation Calls ◽  
Auditory Receptor ◽  
Multiple Characteristics ◽  
Similar Distance

AbstractMost animals are at risk from multiple predators and can vary anti-predator behaviour based on the level of threat posed by each predator. Animals use sensory systems to detect predator cues, but the relationship between the tuning of sensory systems and the sensory cues related to predator threat are not well-studied at the community level. Noctuid moths have ultrasound-sensitive ears to detect the echolocation calls of predatory bats. Here, combining empirical data and mathematical modelling, we show that moth hearing is adapted to provide information about the threat posed by different sympatric bat species. First, we found that multiple characteristics related to the threat posed by bats to moths correlate with bat echolocation call frequency. Second, the frequency tuning of the most sensitive auditory receptor in noctuid moth ears provides information allowing moths to escape detection by all sympatric bats with similar safety margin distances. Third, the least sensitive auditory receptor usually responds to bat echolocation calls at a similar distance across all moth species for a given bat species. If this neuron triggers last-ditch evasive flight, it suggests that there is an ideal reaction distance for each bat species, regardless of moth size. This study shows that even a very simple sensory system can adapt to deliver information suitable for triggering appropriate defensive reactions to each predator in a multiple predator community.

scholarly journals Fright and Fight: Role of predation and competition on mate search tactics of wild male zebrafish

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aditya Ghoshal ◽  
Anuradha Bhat
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Numerical Cognition ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Social Cues ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Mate Search ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
The Individual

AbstractMate search tactics and association preferences among organisms in natural habitats can be dynamic and are determined by inherent trait preferences as well as the cost-benefit trade-offs associated with each mating decision. Two of the prime factors regulating mating decisions are the presence of competing conspecifics and predatory threats, both of which have important fitness consequences for the individual. We studied the influence of these two factors separately in mate search tactics and association preferences among zebrafish males. Male zebrafish were presented with a choice of two patches, consisting of different number of females, of which one patch was also associated with a predatory threat. We found that males made a preferential choice for the patch with more number of females only when the numerical difference between choices are starkly different, irrespective of the predatory threat associated with the patch. This points towards the role of numerical cognition in assessing cost-benefit tradeoffs in male zebrafish. We also studied the association preference of males in a multi-choice setup, consisting of four separate mixed-sex groups of zebrafish varying in densities. Our results showed that while test males preferred to visit the male-biased patches more often, they spent more time near female-biased patches or patches with equal sex ratio patches indicating the role of complex interplay of social cues in determining the associative behavior of males to a patch. This study, thus, sheds further light on the interactive roles of social cues and cognitive abilities in mate association patterns in this species.

scholarly journals Organizational sensory systems of Polish enterprises in the context of cooperative relationships

Management ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-60
Author(s):  
Michał Chomicki
Keyword(s):  
Sensory System ◽  
Sensory Systems ◽  
Economic Environment ◽  
Independence Tests ◽  
Cooperative Relationships ◽  
Theoretical Part ◽  
Chi Squared ◽  
The Relationship

Summary The aim of this paper is to indicate the relationship between the shape of organizational sensory systems of Polish companies and beneficialness of the shape of cooperative relations between these companies with particular kinds of cooperators. The theoretical part of this article was devoted to the identification of the role of cooperative relations in the contemporary economic environment and a brief description of the concept of organizational sensory system, including its influence on cooperation between companies. The survey used the respondents’ indications of frequency of monitoring of elements of organization and its environment and the indication of the beneficialness of the shape of cooperative relationships with suppliers, customers and co-opetitors (in the framework of coopetitive relations). The chi-squared independence tests were used to demonstrate dependencies. In conclusion, it turned out that there are only two statistically significant relations and both of them pertain to relationships with customers.

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