Polarisation vision: overcoming challenges of working with a property of light we barely see.

Autor: Foster JJ; Vision Group, Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 35, 223 62, Lund, Sweden. james.foster@biol.lu.se., Temple SE; Ecology of Vision Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK.; Azul Optics Ltd., 7 Bishop Manor Road, Westbury-On-Trym, Bristol, BS10 5BD, UK., How MJ; Ecology of Vision Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK., Daly IM; Ecology of Vision Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK., Sharkey CR; Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, Cambridge University, Cambridge, CB2 3EG, UK., Wilby D; Ecology of Vision Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK., Roberts NW; Ecology of Vision Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Die Naturwissenschaften [Naturwissenschaften] 2018 Mar 27; Vol. 105 (3-4), pp. 27. Date of Electronic Publication: 2018 Mar 27.
DOI: 10.1007/s00114-018-1551-3
Abstrakt: In recent years, the study of polarisation vision in animals has seen numerous breakthroughs, not just in terms of what is known about the function of this sensory ability, but also in the experimental methods by which polarisation can be controlled, presented and measured. Once thought to be limited to only a few animal species, polarisation sensitivity is now known to be widespread across many taxonomic groups, and advances in experimental techniques are, in part, responsible for these discoveries. Nevertheless, its study remains challenging, perhaps because of our own poor sensitivity to the polarisation of light, but equally as a result of the slow spread of new practices and methodological innovations within the field. In this review, we introduce the most important steps in designing and calibrating polarised stimuli, within the broader context of areas of current research and the applications of new techniques to key questions. Our aim is to provide a constructive guide to help researchers, particularly those with no background in the physics of polarisation, to design robust experiments that are free from confounding factors.
Databáze: MEDLINE