A Neotropical armored harvestman (Arachnida, Opiliones) uses proprioception and vision for homing

Behaviour ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 155 (10-12) ◽  
pp. 793-815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norton Felipe dos Santos Silva ◽  
Kasey Fowler-Finn ◽  
Sara Ribeiro Mortara ◽  
Rodrigo Hirata Willemart
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cues ◽  
Sensory Modality ◽  
Cue Use ◽  
Egg Guarding

Abstract Animals use external and/or internal cues to navigate and can show flexibility in cue use if one type of cue is unavailable. We studied the homing ability of the harvestman Heteromitobates discolor (Arachnida, Opiliones) by moving egg-guarding females from their clutches. We tested the importance of vision, proprioception, and olfaction. We predicted that homing would be negatively affected in the absence of these cues, with success being measured by the return of females to their clutches. We restricted proprioception by not allowing females to walk, removed vision by painting the eyes, and removed the odours by removing the clutch and cleaning its surroundings. We found that vision is important for homing, and in the absence of visual cues, proprioception is important. Finally, we found increased homing when eggs were present, and that the time of the day also influenced homing. We highlight vision as a previously overlooked sensory modality in Opiliones.

scholarly journals Multimodal integration and stimulus categorization in putative mushroom body output neurons of the honeybee

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 171785 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin F. Strube-Bloss ◽  
Wolfgang Rössler
Keyword(s):  
Visual Information ◽  
Mushroom Body ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Sensory Modality ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Insect Brain ◽  
Pollinating Insects ◽  
Output Neurons ◽  
Electrophysiological Characterization ◽  
Nonlinear Integration

Flowers attract pollinating insects like honeybees by sophisticated compositions of olfactory and visual cues. Using honeybees as a model to study olfactory–visual integration at the neuronal level, we focused on mushroom body (MB) output neurons (MBON). From a neuronal circuit perspective, MBONs represent a prominent level of sensory-modality convergence in the insect brain. We established an experimental design allowing electrophysiological characterization of olfactory, visual, as well as olfactory–visual induced activation of individual MBONs. Despite the obvious convergence of olfactory and visual pathways in the MB, we found numerous unimodal MBONs. However, a substantial proportion of MBONs (32%) responded to both modalities and thus integrated olfactory–visual information across MB input layers. In these neurons, representation of the olfactory–visual compound was significantly increased compared with that of single components, suggesting an additive, but nonlinear integration. Population analyses of olfactory–visual MBONs revealed three categories: (i) olfactory, (ii) visual and (iii) olfactory–visual compound stimuli. Interestingly, no significant differentiation was apparent regarding different stimulus qualities within these categories. We conclude that encoding of stimulus quality within a modality is largely completed at the level of MB input, and information at the MB output is integrated across modalities to efficiently categorize sensory information for downstream behavioural decision processing.

Sensory determinants of agonistic interactions in the red-backed salamander, Plethodon cinereus

Behaviour ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 150 (12) ◽  
pp. 1467-1489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arielle Duhaime-Ross ◽  
Geneviève Martel ◽  
Frédéric Laberge
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cues ◽  
Sensory Input ◽  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Sensory Modality ◽  
Plethodon Cinereus ◽  
Inanimate Object ◽  
Agonistic Interactions ◽  
Multimodal Signals ◽  
Sensory Modalities

Many animals use and react to multimodal signals — signals that occur in more than one sensory modality. This study focused on the respective roles of vision, chemoreception, and their possible interaction in determining agonistic responses of the red-backed salamander, Plethodon cinereus. The use of a computer display allowed separate or combined presentation of visual and chemical cues. A cue isolation experiment using adult male and juvenile salamanders showed that both visual and chemical cues from unfamiliar male conspecifics could increase aggressive displays. Submissive displays were only increased in juveniles, and specifically by the visual cue. The rate of chemoinvestigation of the substrate was increased only by chemical cues in adults, whereas both chemical and visual cues increased this behaviour in juveniles. Chemoinvestigation appears, thus, more dependent on sensory input in juvenile salamanders. A follow-up experiment comparing responses to visual cues of different animals (conspecific salamander, heterospecific salamander and earthworm) or an inanimate object (wood stick) showed that exploratory behaviour was higher in the presence of the inanimate object stimulus. The heterospecific salamander stimulus produced strong submissive and escape responses, while the conspecific salamander stimulus promoted aggressive displays. Finally, the earthworm stimulus increased both aggressive and submissive behaviours at intermediate levels when compared to salamander cues. These specific combinations of agonistic and exploratory responses to each stimulus suggest that salamanders could discriminate the cues visually. This study sheds some light on how information from different sensory modalities guides social behaviour at different life stages in a salamander.

Visual Biasing of Normal and Impaired Auditory Speech Perception

1990 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 163-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian E. Walden ◽  
Allen A. Montgomery ◽  
Robert A. Prosek ◽  
David B. Hawkins
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Hearing Impairment ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Sensory Modality ◽  
Stop Consonant ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Auditory Speech

Intersensory biasing occurs when cues in one sensory modality influence the perception of discrepant cues in another modality. Visual biasing of auditory stop consonant perception was examined in two related experiments in an attempt to clarify the role of hearing impairment on susceptibility to visual biasing of auditory speech perception. Fourteen computer-generated acoustic approximations of consonant-vowel syllables forming a /ba-da-ga/ continuum were presented for labeling as one of the three exemplars, via audition alone and in synchrony with natural visual articulations of /ba/ and of /ga/. Labeling functions were generated for each test condition showing the percentage of /ba/, /da/, and /ga/ responses to each of the 14 synthetic syllables. The subjects of the first experiment were 15 normal-hearing and 15 hearing-impaired observers. The hearing-impaired subjects demonstrated a greater susceptibility to biasing from visual cues than did the normal-hearing subjects. In the second experiment, the auditory stimuli were presented in a low-level background noise to 15 normal-hearing observers. A comparison of their labeling responses with those from the first experiment suggested that hearing-impaired persons may develop a propensity to rely on visual cues as a result of long-term hearing impairment. The results are discussed in terms of theories of intersensory bias.

Preference of three scarab beetle species to floral cues

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1764-1770
Author(s):  
Hongfei Zhang ◽  
Weizheng Li ◽  
Yan Zhang ◽  
Guohui Yuan ◽  
Mingsheng Yang
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Differentiation ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Sensory Modality ◽  
Scarab Beetle ◽  
Beetle Species ◽  
Radial Gradient ◽  
Holotrichia Parallela ◽  
Color Components ◽  
Floral Cues

The role of floral visual cues was studied in both sexes of three nocturnal scarab beetle species (Holotrichia oblita, Holotrichia parallela, and Anomala corpulenta). Flower patterns were designed using n-petal rose curve and radial gradient tools. Bioassay of plain colored patterns showed that both sexes of H. oblita and H. parallela preferred yellow and white. In contrast, A. corpulenta showed sexual differentiation in preferences. Comparison between given radial gradient patterns and their color components indicated that a radial gradient was necessary in both sexes of H. oblita rather than both sexes of H. parallela to elicit the highest response. Sexual differentiation was found in A. corpulenta. Among 4-, 8-, and 12-petaled patterns, the 4-petaled patterns were most preferred by all of the test insects, regardless of species and sex. Choice assays that provided both odor and visual cues suggest that olfaction may be the primary sensory modality in the three scarab species.

scholarly journals Perceiving Tempo in Incongruent Audiovisual Presentations of Human Motion: Evidence for a Visual Driving Effect

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Xinyue Wang ◽  
Clemens Wöllner ◽  
Zhuanghua Shi
Keyword(s):  
Visual Information ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Ecological Validity ◽  
Sensory Modality ◽  
Human Motion ◽  
Holistic Perception ◽  
Temporal Congruence ◽  
Audiovisual Stimuli ◽  
Point Light

Abstract Compared to vision, audition has been considered to be the dominant sensory modality for temporal processing. Nevertheless, recent research suggests the opposite, such that the apparent inferiority of visual information in tempo judgements might be due to the lack of ecological validity of experimental stimuli, and reliable visual movements may have the potential to alter the temporal location of perceived auditory inputs. To explore the role of audition and vision in overall time perception, audiovisual stimuli with various degrees of temporal congruence were developed in the current study. We investigated which sensory modality weighs more in holistic tempo judgements with conflicting audiovisual information, and whether biological motion (point-light displays of dancers) rather than auditory cues (rhythmic beats) dominate judgements of tempo. A bisection experiment found that participants relied more on visual tempo compared to auditory tempo in overall tempo judgements. For fast tempi (150 to 180 BPM), participants judged ‘fast’ significantly more often with visual cues regardless of the auditory tempo, whereas for slow tempi (60 to 90 BPM), they did so significantly less often. Our results support the notion that visual stimuli with higher ecological validity have the potential to drive up or down the holistic perception of tempo.

scholarly journals Temporal Perception and Attention in Trained Musicians

2021 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 293-312
Author(s):  
Jonas Vibell ◽  
Ahnate Lim ◽  
Scott Sinnett
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cues ◽  
Temporal Discrimination ◽  
Sensory Modality ◽  
Visual Modality ◽  
Temporal Acuity ◽  
Music Training ◽  
Attentional Processes ◽  
Perceptual Skills ◽  
Sensory Modalities ◽  
Processing Information

Considerable evidence converges on the plasticity of attention and the possibility that it can be modulated through regular training. Music training, for instance, has been correlated with modulations of early perceptual and attentional processes. However, the extent to which music training can modulate mechanisms involved in processing information (i.e., perception and attention) is still widely unknown, particularly between sensory modalities. If training in one sensory modality can lead to concomitant enhancements in different sensory modalities, then this could be taken as evidence of a supramodal attentional system. Additionally, if trained musicians exhibit improved perceptual skills outside of the domain of music, this could be taken as evidence for the notion of far-transfer, where training in one domain can lead to improvements in another. To investigate this further, we evaluated the effects of music training using tasks designed to measure simultaneity perception and temporal acuity, and how these are influenced by music training in auditory, visual, and audio-visual conditions. Trained musicians showed significant enhancements for simultaneity perception in the visual modality, as well as generally improved temporal acuity, although not in all conditions. Visual cues directing attention influenced simultaneity perception for musicians for visual discrimination and temporal accuracy in auditory discrimination, suggesting that musicians have selective enhancements in temporal discrimination, arguably due to increased attentional efficiency when compared to nonmusicians. Implications for theory and future training studies are discussed.

Use of auditory and visual cues during observation of conversations in young children and adults

2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (0) ◽  
pp. 176
Author(s):  
Anne Melzer ◽  
Moritz M. Daum
Keyword(s):  
Eye Movements ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Sensory Modality ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Developmental Differences ◽  
Gaze Shifts ◽  
Auditory Cues ◽  
Synchronous Condition ◽  
Current Speaker

In observed conversations, auditory and visual cues are used to shift attention towards the current speaker. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether one sensory modality dominates this cueing in prelinguistic and linguistic children and adults. To this end, participants from three age groups (1-year-olds, 3-year-olds and adults) were presented with three videos of conversations between two puppets: one condition with speech starting before the mouths moved (auditory first), one with the mouths moving before speech was audible (visual first) and one synchronous condition. Sound and vision were asynchronous only at the onset of each turn, at the end of turns, speech and mouth movements were always synchronous. We measured eye movements and calculated the latency of gaze shifts after the onset of speech and/or movement of the mouth at the beginning of turns. All age groups showed shorter latencies when auditory and visual cues occurred synchronously. The 1-year-olds and adults showed no difference between auditory-first and visual-first conditions, whereas the 3-year-olds showed significantly shorter latencies in the visual-first than auditory-first condition. These results suggest that already prelinguistic children use integrated auditory and visual cues in observed conversations to shift their attention between speakers. Furthermore, they indicate developmental differences: 3-year-olds rely more on visual than auditory cues. It has been shown in previous studies that 3-year-olds focus on different aspects of conversations than younger children and adults (e.g., intonation). It is possible that they also use visual cues more to facilitate the following of conversations.

Detection and Learning of Floral Electric Fields by Bumblebees

Science ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 340 (6128) ◽  
pp. 66-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic Clarke ◽  
Heather Whitney ◽  
Gregory Sutton ◽  
Daniel Robert
Keyword(s):  
Electric Field ◽  
Electric Fields ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Sensory Modality ◽  
Floral Rewards ◽  
Shape Pattern ◽  
Field Information ◽  
Floral Cues

Insects use several senses to forage, detecting floral cues such as color, shape, pattern, and volatiles. We report a formerly unappreciated sensory modality in bumblebees (Bombus terrestris), detection of floral electric fields. These fields act as floral cues, which are affected by the visit of naturally charged bees. Like visual cues, floral electric fields exhibit variations in pattern and structure, which can be discriminated by bumblebees. We also show that such electric field information contributes to the complex array of floral cues that together improve a pollinator’s memory of floral rewards. Because floral electric fields can change within seconds, this sensory modality may facilitate rapid and dynamic communication between flowers and their pollinators.

Vision is not necessary for size-selective zooplanktivory in aquatic salamanders

1986 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
pp. 1071-1075 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Lannoo
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cues ◽  
Sensory Modality ◽  
Ambystoma Maculatum ◽  
Feeding Rates ◽  
Size Selectivity ◽  
Selective Predation ◽  
Visual Predation ◽  
Natural Prey ◽  
Aquatic Vertebrates ◽  
Aquatic Salamanders

Vision is usually implicated as the sensory modality employed in size-selective zooplanktivory by aquatic vertebrates. I tested this generalization for nocturnally active salamanders by offering sighted and enucleated Ambystoma maculatum larvae a choice of large vs. small, or normally coloured vs. artificially darkened Daphnia, a natural prey. Salamanders in all treatments took the largest Daphnia and exhibited similar high feeding rates. There was no preference for artificially darkened Daphnia, as would be expected if visual cues predominate. Together these results indicate that vision is not exclusively responsible for size-selective predation by nocturnal salamanders. The often stated or implied assumption that size selectivity indicates visual predation in aquatic vertebrates should thus be questioned.

Supporting the Use of Rudimentary Vocalizations

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 132-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Zubow ◽  
Richard Hurtig
Keyword(s):  
Rett Syndrome ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Primary Research ◽  
Multiple Modalities ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Perceptual Judgments ◽  
The Face

Children with Rett Syndrome (RS) are reported to use multiple modalities to communicate although their intentionality is often questioned (Bartolotta, Zipp, Simpkins, & Glazewski, 2011; Hetzroni & Rubin, 2006; Sigafoos et al., 2000; Sigafoos, Woodyatt, Tuckeer, Roberts-Pennell, & Pittendreigh, 2000). This paper will present results of a study analyzing the unconventional vocalizations of a child with RS. The primary research question addresses the ability of familiar and unfamiliar listeners to interpret unconventional vocalizations as “yes” or “no” responses. This paper will also address the acoustic analysis and perceptual judgments of these vocalizations. Pre-recorded isolated vocalizations of “yes” and “no” were presented to 5 listeners (mother, father, 1 unfamiliar, and 2 familiar clinicians) and the listeners were asked to rate the vocalizations as either “yes” or “no.” The ratings were compared to the original identification made by the child's mother during the face-to-face interaction from which the samples were drawn. Findings of this study suggest, in this case, the child's vocalizations were intentional and could be interpreted by familiar and unfamiliar listeners as either “yes” or “no” without contextual or visual cues. The results suggest that communication partners should be trained to attend to eye-gaze and vocalizations to ensure the child's intended choice is accurately understood.

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