Do cephalopods communicate using polarized light reflections from their skin?

Author:

Mäthger Lydia M.1,Shashar Nadav2,Hanlon Roger T.1

Affiliation:

1. Marine Resources Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA 02543,USA

2. Department of Life Sciences, Eilat Campus, Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva,84105, Israel

Abstract

SUMMARYCephalopods (squid, cuttlefish and octopus) are probably best known for their ability to change color and pattern for camouflage and communication. This is made possible by their complex skin, which contains pigmented chromatophore organs and structural light reflectors (iridophores and leucophores). Iridophores create colorful and linearly polarized reflective patterns. Equally interesting, the photoreceptors of cephalopod eyes are arranged in a way to give these animals the ability to detect the linear polarization of incoming light. The capacity to detect polarized light may have a variety of functions, such as prey detection, navigation, orientation and contrast enhancement. Because the skin of cephalopods can produce polarized reflective patterns, it has been postulated that cephalopods could communicate intraspecifically through this visual system. The term `hidden' or`private' communication channel has been given to this concept because many cephalopod predators may not be able to see their polarized reflective patterns. We review the evidence for polarization vision as well as polarization signaling in some cephalopod species and provide examples that tend to support the notion – currently unproven – that some cephalopods communicate using polarized light signals.

Publisher

The Company of Biologists

Subject

Insect Science,Molecular Biology,Animal Science and Zoology,Aquatic Science,Physiology,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

Reference111 articles.

1. Adamo, S. A. and Hanlon, R. T. (1996). Do cuttlefish (Cephalopoda) signal their intentions to conspecifics during agonistic encounters? Anim. Behav.52, 73-81.

2. Alcock, J. (1984). Animal Behavior:An Evolutionary Perspective. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer.

3. Auburn, J. S. and Taylor, D. J. (1979). Polarized light perception and orientation in larval bullfrogs Rana catesbeiana.Anim. Behav.27,658-688.

4. Bellingham, J., Morris, A. G. and Hunt, D. M.(1998). The rhodopsin gene of the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis: sequence and spectral tuning. J. Exp. Biol.201,2299-2306.

5. Boal, J. G., Shashar, N., Grable, M. M., Vaughan, K. H., Loew,E. R. and Hanlon, R. T. (2004). Behavioral evidence for intraspecific signaling with achromatic and polarized light by cuttlefish(Mollusca: Cephalopoda). Behaviour141,837-861.

Cited by 70 articles. 订阅此论文施引文献 订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3