Information Processing in the Visual Systems of Arthropods

Information Processing in the Visual Systems of Arthropods PDF Author: Rüdiger Wehner
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3642654770
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 325

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Book Description
It is now generally accepted for a variety of reasons - morphological as well as physiologica- that the visual systems of arthropods provide a suitable model for the study of information proces sing in neuronal networks. Unlike the neurophysiology of the visual pathway in the frog and the cat which is more than adequately documented, recent work on the compound eye and optical ganglia of spiders, crustaceans, and insects has scarcely been summarized. In order to fill this void so that others, especially vertebrate neurophysiologists may become familiar with the advan tages of these systems, our group at Zurich University organized here in March 1972, a European meeting to discuss the anatomical. ! neurophysiological and behavioral knowledge on the compound eye and the visual. pathway of arthropods. Systems analysis was regarded as the main theme of the conference, but systems analysis of a network of neurons cannot be done as a mere "black-box" maneuver. The conference therefore tried to reconcile neurophysiology and behavioral analysis in order to make predictions about a necessary and sufficient neural structure. The "wiring dia grams" of such a structure might then be confirmed histologically. Hence the aim of the conferen ce was not to deal only with the structure and function of the compound eye - i. e.

Information Processing in the Visual Systems of Arthropods

Information Processing in the Visual Systems of Arthropods PDF Author: Rüdiger Wehner
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3642654770
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 325

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Book Description
It is now generally accepted for a variety of reasons - morphological as well as physiologica- that the visual systems of arthropods provide a suitable model for the study of information proces sing in neuronal networks. Unlike the neurophysiology of the visual pathway in the frog and the cat which is more than adequately documented, recent work on the compound eye and optical ganglia of spiders, crustaceans, and insects has scarcely been summarized. In order to fill this void so that others, especially vertebrate neurophysiologists may become familiar with the advan tages of these systems, our group at Zurich University organized here in March 1972, a European meeting to discuss the anatomical. ! neurophysiological and behavioral knowledge on the compound eye and the visual. pathway of arthropods. Systems analysis was regarded as the main theme of the conference, but systems analysis of a network of neurons cannot be done as a mere "black-box" maneuver. The conference therefore tried to reconcile neurophysiology and behavioral analysis in order to make predictions about a necessary and sufficient neural structure. The "wiring dia grams" of such a structure might then be confirmed histologically. Hence the aim of the conferen ce was not to deal only with the structure and function of the compound eye - i. e.

Arthropod Brains

Arthropod Brains PDF Author: Nicholas James Strausfeld
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674046331
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 849

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Book Description
In The Descent of Man, Charles Darwin proposed that an ant’s brain, no larger than a pin’s head, must be sophisticated to accomplish all that it does. Yet today many people still find it surprising that insects and other arthropods show behaviors that are much more complex than innate reflexes. They are products of versatile brains which, in a sense, think. Fascinating in their own right, arthropods provide fundamental insights into how brains process and organize sensory information to produce learning, strategizing, cooperation, and sociality. Nicholas Strausfeld elucidates the evolution of this knowledge, beginning with nineteenth-century debates about how similar arthropod brains were to vertebrate brains. This exchange, he shows, had a profound and far-reaching impact on attitudes toward evolution and animal origins. Many renowned scientists, including Sigmund Freud, cut their professional teeth studying arthropod nervous systems. The greatest neuroanatomist of them all, Santiago Ramón y Cajal—founder of the neuron doctrine—was awed by similarities between insect and mammalian brains. Writing in a style that will appeal to a broad readership, Strausfeld weaves anatomical observations with evidence from molecular biology, neuroethology, cladistics, and the fossil record to explore the neurobiology of the largest phylum on earth—and one that is crucial to the well-being of our planet. Highly informative and richly illustrated, Arthropod Brains offers an original synthesis drawing on many fields, and a comprehensive reference that will serve biologists for years to come.

The Discovery of a Visual System

The Discovery of a Visual System PDF Author: Adrian Horridge
Publisher: CABI
ISBN: 1789240891
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 293

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Book Description
This book is the only account of what honeybees actually see. Bees detect some visual features such as edges and colours, but there is no sign that they reconstruct patterns or put together features to form objects. Bees detect motion but have no perception of what it is that moves, and certainly they do not recognize "things" by their shapes. Yet they clearly see well enough to fly and find food with a minute brain. Bee vision is therefore relevant to the construction of simple artificial visual systems, for example for mobile robots. The surprising conclusion is that bee vision is adapted to the recognition of places, not things. In this volume, Adrian Horridge also sets out the curious and contentious history of how bee vision came to be understood, with an account of a century of neglect of old experimental results, errors of interpretation, sharp disagreements, and failures of the scientific method. The design of the experiments and the methods of making inferences from observations are also critically examined, with the conclusion that scientists are often hesitant, imperfect and misleading, ignore the work of others, and fail to consider alternative explanations. The erratic path to understanding makes interesting reading for anyone with an interest in the workings of science but particularly those researching insect vision and invertebrate sensory systems.

Orientation and Communication in Arthropods

Orientation and Communication in Arthropods PDF Author: Miriam Lehrer
Publisher: Birkhäuser
ISBN: 3034888783
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 409

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Book Description
The present volume deals with the most fascinating aspects of sensory performance studied in insects, crustaceans and spiders. Arthropods inhabit practically every conceivable ecological niche, and are perfectly adapted to cope with the constraints of their natural habitats. They move on the ground, in water, and in the air. They use visual, olfactory, acoustical, vibratory, and tactile cues for orientation, to recognize and pinpoint their target, their home place, a feeding site, a prey, or a potential mate. Many arthropods use celestial (skylight) and terrestrial (magnetic) compass cues for orientation, and some of them were shown to develop, through experience, oriented behaviours based on a variety of innate, hard-wired orientation mechanisms. In many cases, aspects of behaviour that are involved in orientation cannot be separated from inter- and intraspecific communication. The book brings to the fore the role of communication not only in social and sexual behaviours, but also in the context of oriented locomotion. Top, internationally renowned scientists have contributed to this volume and have succeeded in presenting a book full of highlights which will be of great interest to workers in this field of research. With contributions by F. G. Barth; D. von Helverson, K.-E. Kaissling, W. Kirchner, M. Walker, M. Weissburg, R. Campan, T. Collett, J. Zeil, K. Kirschfeld, R. Wehner, M. Srinivasan, M. Lehrer, R. Gadagkar.

Behavioral Genetics of the Fly (Drosophila Melanogaster)

Behavioral Genetics of the Fly (Drosophila Melanogaster) PDF Author: Josh Dubnau
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107009030
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 309

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Book Description
A comprehensive portrayal of the behaviour genetics of the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and the methods used in these studies.

Perceptual Coding

Perceptual Coding PDF Author: Edward C. Carterette
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 1483276228
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 449

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Book Description
Handbook of Perception, Volume VIII: Perceptual Coding covers perceptual coding of space, time, and objects, including sensory memory systems and the relations between verbal and perceptual codes. This volume contains contributions that focus on such subjects as the compound eye; the problems of the perceptual constancies and of intersensory coordination in perceptual development; the visual perception of objects in space; and perception of motion. Topics on the perception of color, the representation of temporal, auditory, and haptic perception; and the relationship between verbal and perceptual codes are discussed in detail as well. This book will be of use to psychologists, biologists, and those interested in the study of perceptual codes.

Comparative Physiology and Evolution of Vision in Invertebrates

Comparative Physiology and Evolution of Vision in Invertebrates PDF Author: H. Autrum
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3642669999
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 762

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Book Description
In the comparative physiology of photoreception by the Protista and the invertebrates two aspects are emphasized: (1) the diversity of visual processes in these groups and (2) their bearing upon general mechanisms of photoreception. Invertebrates have evolved a far greater variety of adaptations than vertebrates modifications aiding survival in the remarkably different biotopes they occupy. The number of species in itself suggests this multiformity; each of them has peculiarities of its own, in morphology as well as in physiology and behavior. But these special adaptations are variations on a few great themes. Although the catalogue of invertebrate species is immense, the literature concerning them nearly rivals it in extent-even if one considers only that fraction dealing with visual physiology. Taxonomy proceeds by grouping the species, categorizing them in genera, families, orders, and progressively larger units. Similarly, comparative physiology aims at an analogous, more or less compre hensive, classification. This Part A of Volume VII/6, like Part B that follows it, emphasizes the broad questions that concern groups larger than the individual species; in some cases these questions have general applicability. The middle course between approaches that are too specialized and those that are too general is often elusive, but here we attempt to follow it. The vast number of special adaptations-probably, as we have said, as large as the number of species-is beyond the range even of a handbook.

Photoreceptor Optics

Photoreceptor Optics PDF Author: A.W. Snyder
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3642809340
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 523

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Book Description
The above consideration indicates that at present many of the experi mental facts on PS in animals can be quantitatively explained within the limits of the "universal" photoreceptor membrane concept. Of course, existence of preferential orientation of the absorbing dipoles in the tubuli of the rhabdomeres can not be totally rejected. We hope that the concept of the "universal" photoreceptor membrane may serve as the useful instrument when dealing with newly discovered properties of visual cells so that true mechanisms of electrical and optical coupling will be searched for instead of assumptions being made on additional properties of the photoreceptor membrane in every new animal under study. 5. Absorption Spectrum of the Universal Photoreceptor Membrane and Spectral Sensitivity of the Photoreceptor 5. 1 Preliminary Notes It seems nearly self-evident that the absorption spectrum of the pho toreceptor membrane coincides exactly with that of the visual pigment it contains. Hence, the membrane must exhibit three bands of absorp tion - the principal band with its peak within the limits of visible spectrum (or a-peak); the secondary band between 340 and 380 nm (S peak); and the third, protein band, in the ultraviolet (UV) at 280 nm (COLLINS et al. , 1952). The main peak of absorption is located within the range 433-575 nm for retinol-based pigments and between 438 and 620 nm for 3-dehydroretinol-based pigments, the position of Amax de pending on many ecological factors.

Visual Ecology

Visual Ecology PDF Author: Thomas W. Cronin
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691151849
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 427

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Book Description
A comprehensive treatment of visual ecology Visual ecology is the study of how animals use visual systems to meet their ecological needs, how these systems have evolved, and how they are specialized for particular visual tasks. Visual Ecology provides the first up-to-date synthesis of the field to appear in more than three decades. Featuring some 225 illustrations, including more than 140 in color, spread throughout the text, this comprehensive and accessible book begins by discussing the basic properties of light and the optical environment. It then looks at how photoreceptors intercept light and convert it to usable biological signals, how the pigments and cells of vision vary among animals, and how the properties of these components affect a given receptor's sensitivity to light. The book goes on to examine how eyes and photoreceptors become specialized for an array of visual tasks, such as navigation, evading prey, mate choice, and communication. A timely and much-needed resource for students and researchers alike, Visual Ecology also includes a glossary and a wealth of examples drawn from the full diversity of visual systems. The most up-to-date overview of visual ecology available Features some 225 illustrations, including more than 140 in color, spread throughout the text Guides readers from the basic physics of light to the role of visual systems in animal behavior Includes a glossary and a wealth of real-world examples

Advances in Insect Physiology

Advances in Insect Physiology PDF Author:
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0080579167
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 231

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Book Description
Advances in Insect Physiology