Adaptive Mechanisms in the Ecology of Vision

About this book

This study relates the functioning of the visual system with the visual requirements demanded by the environment and behaviour of the animal in it. The book represents a review of the wealth of research that has been carried out in recent years. It deals with theoretical and physical considerations of light and photoreception, practical examples of visual system structure and function and aspects of visual behaviour and communication. Importantly, the book emphasizes one of the main themes to have emerged from studies of the ecology of vision: that the visual system is extremely adaptable when confronted with changing environmental and behavioural conditions. This updated review represents the work of leading experts working in the field of visual ecology, a requirement that reflects the high level of research activity. The book approaches the visual system from many different areas of biology including neurobiology, sensory biology, cellular biology and behavioural biology. Consequently, the book should be of interest to workers both within and outside the field of vision research and also to undergraduate and graduate students interested in vision.

Contents

Preface; J. Woods. I: General Principles 1. Light and Photoreception; E. Loew, S. Archer. II: Biophysical Adaptations. Introduction; J. Partridge. 2. Compound Eye Structure: Matching Eye to Environment; M.F. Land. 3. Vertebrate Optical Structure; J.G. Sivak, et al. 4. A Review of Vertebrate and Invertebrate Optical Filters; R.H. Douglas, N.J. Marshall. 5. Vertebrate Photoreceptors; A. Locket. 6. The Extraretinal Photoreceptors of Non-Mammalian Vertebrates; J. Shand, R.G. Foster. 7. The Regulation of Vertebrate Biological Clocks by Light; R.G. Foster, I. Provencio. III: Biochemical and Physiological Adaptations. Introduction; S. Archer, M.B.A. Djamgoz. 8. Adaptation of Visual Pigments to the Aquatic Environment; J.C. Partridge, M.E. Cummings. 9. Visual Adaptations in Crustaceans: Spectral Sensitivity in Diverse Habitats; J. Marshall, et al. 10. Outer Retinal Signal Processing; M. Djamgoz, et al. 11. Inner Retinal Signal Processing Adaptation to Environmental Light; L. Frishman. 12. Ecological Aspects of Vertebrate Visual Ontogeny; L. Beaudet, C.W. Hawryshyn. 13. Molecular Biology of Photoreceptor Spectral Sensitivity; J.K. Bowmaker, D.M. Hunt. IV: Behaviour and Communication. Introduction; E. Loew. 14. Visual Systems, Behaviour and Environment in Cephalapods; W. Muntz. 15. Optical Structure and Visual Fields in Birds: Their Relationships with Foraging Behaviour and Ecology; G. Martin. 16. Behavioural Ecology and Retinal Cell Topography; S. Collin. 17. Flower Advertisement for Invertebrates: Bees, A Case Study; M. Vorobyev, R. Menzel. 18. Bioluminescence; E. Widder. 19. The Behaviour of Animals around Twilight with Emphasis on Coral Reef Communities; W. McFarland, et al. 20. Vision and Behaviour in Primates; G.H. Jacobs.

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