scholarly journals Polarized light use in the nocturnal bull ant, Myrmecia midas

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (8) ◽  
pp. 170598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cody A. Freas ◽  
Ajay Narendra ◽  
Corentin Lemesle ◽  
Ken Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cues ◽  
Polarized Light ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Light Change ◽  
Polarization Pattern ◽  
Returning Home

Solitary foraging ants have a navigational toolkit, which includes the use of both terrestrial and celestial visual cues, allowing individuals to successfully pilot between food sources and their nest. One such celestial cue is the polarization pattern in the overhead sky. Here, we explore the use of polarized light during outbound and inbound journeys and with different home vectors in the nocturnal bull ant, Myrmecia midas . We tested foragers on both portions of the foraging trip by rotating the overhead polarization pattern by ±45°. Both outbound and inbound foragers responded to the polarized light change, but the extent to which they responded to the rotation varied. Outbound ants, both close to and further from the nest, compensated for the change in the overhead e-vector by about half of the manipulation, suggesting that outbound ants choose a compromise heading between the celestial and terrestrial compass cues. However, ants returning home compensated for the change in the e-vector by about half of the manipulation when the remaining home vector was short (1−2 m) and by more than half of the manipulation when the remaining vector was long (more than 4 m). We report these findings and discuss why weighting on polarization cues change in different contexts.

scholarly journals Heading choices of flying Drosophila under changing angles of polarized light

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas F. Mathejczyk ◽  
Mathias F. Wernet
Keyword(s):  
Incident Angle ◽  
Polarized Light ◽  
Green Light ◽  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
Open Loop ◽  
Slow Rotation ◽  
Visually Guided ◽  
Polarization Pattern ◽  
Linearly Polarized ◽  
3D Printed

AbstractMany navigating insects include the celestial polarization pattern as an additional visual cue to orient their travels. Spontaneous orientation responses of both walking and flying fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) to linearly polarized light have previously been demonstrated. Using newly designed modular flight arenas consisting entirely of off-the-shelf parts and 3D-printed components we present individual flying flies with a slow and continuous rotational change in the incident angle of linear polarization. Under such open-loop conditions, single flies choose arbitrary headings with respect to the angle of polarized light and show a clear tendency to maintain those chosen headings for several minutes, thereby adjusting their course to the slow rotation of the incident stimulus. Importantly, flies show the tendency to maintain a chosen heading even when two individual test periods under a linearly polarized stimulus are interrupted by an epoch of unpolarized light lasting several minutes. Finally, we show that these behavioral responses are wavelength-specific, existing under polarized UV stimulus while being absent under polarized green light. Taken together, these findings provide further evidence supporting Drosophila’s abilities to use celestial cues for visually guided navigation and course correction.

scholarly journals Neural and behavioural responses of the pollen-specialist bee Andrena vaga to Salix odours

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Burger ◽  
Melanie Marquardt ◽  
Katharina Babucke ◽  
Kim C. Heuel ◽  
Manfred Ayasse ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cues ◽  
Floral Scent ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Host Finding ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Small Range ◽  
Behavioural Activity ◽  
Electroantennographic Detection ◽  
Behavioural Experiments

An effective means of finding food is crucial for organisms. Whereas specialized animals select a small number of potentially available food sources, generalists use a broader range. Specialist (oligolectic) bees forage on a small range of flowering plants for pollen and use primarily olfactory and visual cues to locate their host flowers. So far, however, little is known about the specific cues oligoleges use to discriminate between hosts and non-hosts and how floral scent compounds of hosts and non-hosts are processed in the bees’ olfactory system. In this study, we recorded physiological responses of the antennae (electroantennographic detection coupled to gas chromatography GC-EAD) and in the brain (optical imaging, GC-imaging), and studied host-finding behaviour of oligolectic Andrena vaga bees, a specialist on Salix plants. In total, we detected 37 physiologically active compounds in host and non-host scents. 4-Oxoisophorone, a common constituent in the scent of many Salix species, evoked strong responses in the antennal lobe glomeruli of A. vaga, but not the generalist honeybee Apis mellifera. The specific glomerular responses to 4-oxoisophorone in natural Salix scents reveals a high degree of specialization in A. vaga for this typical Salix odorant component. In behavioural experiments, we found olfactory cues to be the key attractants for A. vaga to Salix hosts, which are also used to discriminate between hosts and non-hosts, and demonstrated a behavioural activity for 4-oxoisophorone. A high sensitivity to floral scents enables the specialized bees to effectively find flowers and it appears that A. vaga bees are highly tuned to 4-oxoisophorone at a very low concentration.

Orientation of snow buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis) close to the magnetic north pole

1998 ◽  
Vol 201 (12) ◽  
pp. 1859-1870 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Sandberg ◽  
J Bäckman ◽  
U Ottosson
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cues ◽  
Polarized Light ◽  
North Pole ◽  
Free Flight ◽  
Release Test ◽  
Shift Experiment ◽  
Vector Direction ◽  
Plectrophenax Nivalis ◽  
Magnetic North ◽  
Clock Shift

Orientation experiments were performed with first-year snow buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis) during their autumn migration in a natural near-vertical geomagnetic field approximately 400 km away from the magnetic north pole. Migratory orientation of snow buntings was recorded using two different techniques: orientation cage tests and free-flight release experiments. Experiments were performed under clear skies, as well as under natural and simulated complete overcast. Several experimental manipulations were performed including an artificial shift of the E-vector direction of polarized light, depolarization of incoming light and a 4 h slow clock-shift experiment. The amount of stored fat proved to be decisive for the directional selections of the buntings. Fat individuals generally chose southerly mean directions, whereas lean birds selected northerly headings. These directional selections seemed to be independent of experimental manipulations of the buntings' access to visual cues even in the local near-vertical magnetic field. Under clear skies, the buntings failed to respond to either a deflection of the E-vector direction of polarized light or an experimental depolarization of incoming skylight. When tested under natural as well as simulated overcast, the buntings were still able to select a meaningful mean direction according to their fat status. Similarly, the free-flight release test under complete overcast resulted in a well-defined southsoutheast direction, possibly influenced by the prevailing light northwest wind. Clock-shift experiments did not yield a conclusive result, but the failure of these birds to take off during the subsequent free-flight release test may indicate some unspecified confusion effect of the treatment.

Polarization vision in cuttlefish in a concealed communication channel?

1996 ◽  
Vol 199 (9) ◽  
pp. 2077-2084
Author(s):  
N Shashar ◽  
P Rutledge ◽  
T Cronin
Keyword(s):  
Polarized Light ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Polarization Sensitivity ◽  
Polarization Vision ◽  
Microscopical Examination ◽  
Polarization Pattern ◽  
Behavioral Experiments ◽  
Marine Animals ◽  
Linearly Polarized ◽  
Electron Microscopical

Polarization sensitivity is well documented in marine animals, but its function is not yet well understood. Of the cephalopods, squid and octopus are known to be sensitive to the orientation of polarization of incoming light. This sensitivity arises from the orthogonal orientation of neighboring photoreceptors. Electron microscopical examination of the retina of the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis L. revealed the same orthogonal structure, suggesting that cuttlefish are also sensitive to linearly polarized light. Viewing cuttlefish through an imaging polarized light analyzer revealed a prominent polarization pattern on the arms, around the eyes and on the forehead of the animals. The polarization pattern disappeared when individuals lay camouflaged on the bottom and also during extreme aggression display, attacks on prey, copulation and egg-laying behavior in females. In behavioral experiments, the responses of cuttlefish to their images reflected from a mirror changed when the polarization patterns of the reflected images were distorted. These results suggest that cuttlefish use polarization vision and display for intraspecific recognition and communication.

POLARIZED LIGHT AND BODY TEMPERATURE LEVEL AS ORIENTATION FACTORS IN THE LIGHT REACTIONS OF SOME HYMENOPTEROUS AND LEPIDOPTEROUS LARVAE

1951 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 339-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. G. Wellington ◽  
C. R. Sullivan ◽  
G. W. Green
Keyword(s):  
Body Temperature ◽  
Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽  
Polarized Light ◽  
The Other ◽  
Malacosoma Disstria ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Ice Crystal ◽  
Polarization Pattern ◽  
Internal Temperature ◽  
Temperature Level

Larvae of the diprionid sawfly, Neodiprion banksianae Roh., the lasiocampid, Malacosoma disstria Hbn., and the tortricid, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.), were used to demonstrate the effects of heat and of plane-polarized light upon the photic orientation of immature insects. Photic orientation was shown to be primarily a result of internal temperature level. When larvae were heated sufficiently, they reversed the sign of their orientation. Larvae of the three species were sensitive to variations in the plane of polarization, and they used the polarization pattern of the sky to varying degrees in their orientation. Neodiprion larvae orientated primarily with reference to the polarization pattern when one was available. Malacosoma larvae and photonegative Choristoneura larvae appeared to orientate with reference to the position of the sun, but rotation of the axis of a "Polaroid" screen through 90° could change the direction of their travel by this amount. On the other hand, photonegative Choristoneura larvae subjected to a 90° shift of the axis continued to orientate with reference to the solar compass position when the sun was visible, even when their actions under the "Polaroid" showed that they could detect changes in polarization. The type of eye structure, the number of pairs of eyes, and the position of these on hypognathous and prognathous heads are considered to have some influence upon the different degrees of efficiency in orientation. Smoke and ice crystal cloud affected the orientation of the "Polaroid" axis that would produce a response, notably when the sun was obscured. Water droplet cloud had little effect, except in a complete overcast, under which polarization was disrupted.

scholarly journals Matched-filter coding of sky polarization results in an internal sun compass in the brain of the desert locust

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (41) ◽  
pp. 25810-25817
Author(s):  
Frederick Zittrell ◽  
Keram Pfeiffer ◽  
Uwe Homberg
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Orientation ◽  
Matched Filter ◽  
Polarized Light ◽  
Central Complex ◽  
Insect Brain ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Polarization Pattern ◽  
Sun Compass ◽  
Small Spot ◽  
Polarization Compass

Many animals use celestial cues for spatial orientation. These include the sun and, in insects, the polarization pattern of the sky, which depends on the position of the sun. The central complex in the insect brain plays a key role in spatial orientation. In desert locusts, the angle of polarized light in the zenith above the animal and the direction of a simulated sun are represented in a compass-like fashion in the central complex, but how both compasses fit together for a unified representation of external space remained unclear. To address this question, we analyzed the sensitivity of intracellularly recorded central-complex neurons to the angle of polarized light presented from up to 33 positions in the animal’s dorsal visual field and injected Neurobiotin tracer for cell identification. Neurons were polarization sensitive in large parts of the virtual sky that in some cells extended to the horizon in all directions. Neurons, moreover, were tuned to spatial patterns of polarization angles that matched the sky polarization pattern of particular sun positions. The horizontal components of these calculated solar positions were topographically encoded in the protocerebral bridge of the central complex covering 360° of space. This whole-sky polarization compass does not support the earlier reported polarization compass based on stimulation from a small spot above the animal but coincides well with the previously demonstrated direct sun compass based on unpolarized light stimulation. Therefore, direct sunlight and whole-sky polarization complement each other for robust head direction coding in the locust central complex.

scholarly journals Behavioural and physiological mechanisms of polarized light sensitivity in birds

2011 ◽  
Vol 366 (1565) ◽  
pp. 763-771 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Muheim
Keyword(s):  
Physiological Mechanism ◽  
Polarized Light ◽  
Light Sensitivity ◽  
Convincing Evidence ◽  
Polarization Pattern ◽  
Compass Orientation ◽  
Receptor System ◽  
Sun Compass ◽  
Skylight Polarization ◽  
Compass Calibration

Polarized light (PL) sensitivity is relatively well studied in a large number of invertebrates and some fish species, but in most other vertebrate classes, including birds, the behavioural and physiological mechanism of PL sensitivity remains one of the big mysteries in sensory biology. Many organisms use the skylight polarization pattern as part of a sun compass for orientation, navigation and in spatial orientation tasks. In birds, the available evidence for an involvement of the skylight polarization pattern in sun-compass orientation is very weak. Instead, cue-conflict and cue-calibration experiments have shown that the skylight polarization pattern near the horizon at sunrise and sunset provides birds with a seasonally and latitudinally independent compass calibration reference. Despite convincing evidence that birds use PL cues for orientation, direct experimental evidence for PL sensitivity is still lacking. Avian double cones have been proposed as putative PL receptors, but detailed anatomical and physiological evidence will be needed to conclusively describe the avian PL receptor. Intriguing parallels between the functional and physiological properties of PL reception and light-dependent magnetoreception could point to a common receptor system.

scholarly journals Heading choices of flying Drosophila under changing angles of polarized light

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas F. Mathejczyk ◽  
Mathias F. Wernet
Keyword(s):  
Incident Angle ◽  
Polarized Light ◽  
Green Light ◽  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
Open Loop ◽  
Slow Rotation ◽  
Visually Guided ◽  
Polarization Pattern ◽  
Linearly Polarized ◽  
3D Printed

SummaryMany navigating insects include the celestial polarization pattern as an additional visual cue to orient their travels. Spontaneous orientation responses of both walking and flying fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) to linearly polarized light have previously been demonstrated. Using newly designed modular flight arenas consisting entirely of off-the-shelf parts and 3D-printed components we present individual flying flies with a slow and continuous rotational change in the incident angle of linear polarization. Under such open-loop conditions, single flies choose arbitrary headings with respect to the angle of polarized light and show a clear tendency to maintain those chosen headings for several minutes, thereby adjusting their course to the slow rotation of the incident stimulus. Importantly, flies show the tendency to maintain a chosen heading even when two individual test periods under a linearly polarized stimulus are interrupted by an epoch of unpolarized light lasting several minutes. Finally, we show that these behavioral responses are wavelength-specific, existing under polarized UV stimulus while being absent under polarized green light. Taken together, these findings provide further evidence supporting Drosophila’s abilities to use celestial cues for visually guided navigation and course correction.

scholarly journals Recruitment in Swarm-Founding Wasps:Polybia occidentalisDoes not Actively Scent-Mark Carbohydrate Food Sources

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin J. Taylor ◽  
Erik V. Nordheim ◽  
Teresa I. Schueller ◽  
Robert L. Jeanne
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cues ◽  
Food Source ◽  
Sucrose Solution ◽  
Search Time ◽  
Scent Marking ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Foraging Efficiency ◽  
Scent Mark ◽  
Social Bees ◽  
Left Behind

Scent marking food resources is expected to enhance foraging efficiency reducing search time. Many social bees exhibit this behavior, but scent-marking is absent in social wasps, except forVespa mandarinia. We tested for scent marking in the swarm-founding wasp,Polybia occidentalis. This wasp has moderately large colonies and utilizes resources that are concentrated in time and space, making scent marking profitable. Also, this wasp uses chemical markings to lead nestmates to a new nest site during swarm emigration, making it possible that it could use the same behavior to recruit nestmates to a food source. Foragers from 11 colonies were given a choice between a previously visited feeder and an unvisited one, both containing a rich, unscented sucrose solution. There was no difference in the number of visits to the two treatments. However, some individuals chose the feeder on one side more often. We conclude that foragers of this species of wasp do not use odor marks left behind by nestmates to find food, but they do exhibit the tendency, when returning to a food source that has not been depleted, to choose a resource based on its relative position, presumably by using visual cues.

How polarization-sensitive interneurones of crickets see the polarization pattern of the sky: a field study with an opto-electronic model neurone

1999 ◽  
Vol 202 (7) ◽  
pp. 757-770 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Labhart
Keyword(s):  
Compound Eye ◽  
Polarized Light ◽  
Meteorological Conditions ◽  
Polarization Pattern ◽  
Directional Information ◽  
Polarization Signal ◽  
Physiological Properties ◽  
Electronic Model ◽  
Gryllus Campestris ◽  
Low Pass

Many insects gain directional information from the polarization pattern of the sky. Polarization vision is mediated by the specialized ommatidia of the dorsal rim area of the compound eye, which contains highly polarization-sensitive photoreceptors. In crickets Gryllus campestris, polarized light information conveyed by the dorsal rim ommatidia was found to be processed by polarization-opponent interneurones (POL-neurones). In this study, a field-proof opto-electronic model of a POL-neurone was constructed that implements the physiological properties of cricket POL-neurones as measured by previous electrophysiological experiments in the laboratory. Using this model neurone, both the strength of the celestial polarization signal and the directional information available to POL-neurones were assessed under a variety of meteorological conditions. We show that the polarization signal as experienced by cricket POL-neurones is very robust, both because of the special filtering properties of these neurones (polarization-antagonism, spatial low-pass, monochromacy) and because of the relatively stable e-vector pattern of the sky.

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