Investigating mechanisms of polarized light sensitivity in the small white butterflyPieris rapae
| Autor: | Adam J. Blake, Shelby A. Kwok, Gina S. Hahn, Deby McIntosh, Hayley Grey, Gerhard Gries |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
0303 health sciences genetic structures biology Color difference Pieris rapae biology.organism_classification Polarization (waves) 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences 03 medical and health sciences Butterfly Host plants Biological system 030304 developmental biology |
| Popis: | There is an ever increasing number of arthropod taxa shown to have polarization sensitivity throughout their compound eyes. However, the mechanisms underlying arthropod perception of polarized reflections from objects such as plants are not well understood. The small white butterfly,Pieris rapae, has been demonstrated to exploit foliar polarized reflections, specifically the degree of linear polarization (DoLP), to recognize host plants. The well-described visual system ofP. rapaeincludes several photoreceptor types (red, green, blue) that are sensitive to polarized light. Yet, the mechanism underlying the behavioral responses ofP. rapaeto stimuli with differentDoLPsremains unknown. To investigate potential mechanisms, we designed several two-choice behavioral bioassays, displaying plant images on paired LCD monitors which allowed for independent control of polarization, color and intensity. We found that shifts in image intensity had a similar effect onP. rapaepreferences for stimuli dissimilar inDoLPand dissimilar in color, suggestingDoLPdifferences are perceived as color. When aDoLPchoice was offered between plant images manipulated in a manner to minimizing the response of blue, red, or blue and red photoreceptors,P. rapaeshifted its preference forDoLP, suggesting a role for red, green and blue polarization-sensitive photoreceptors. Modeling ofP. rapaephotoreceptor responses to test stimuli suggests that differentialDoLPis not perceived solely as a color difference. Our combined results suggest thatP. rapaefemales process and interpret polarization reflections in a way different from that described for other polarization-sensitive taxa. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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