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Avian UV vision enhances leaf surface contrasts in forest environments

Author

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  • Cynthia Tedore

    (Lund University
    University of Hamburg)

  • Dan-Eric Nilsson

    (Lund University)

Abstract

UV vision is prevalent, but we know little about its utility in common general tasks, as in resolving habitat structure. Here we visualize vegetated habitats using a multispectral camera with channels mimicking bird photoreceptor sensitivities across the UV-visible spectrum. We find that the contrast between upper and lower leaf surfaces is higher in a UV channel than in any visible channel, and that this makes leaf position and orientation stand out clearly. This was unexpected since both leaf surfaces reflect similarly small proportions (1–2%) of incident UV light. The strong UV-contrast can be explained by downwelling light being brighter than upwelling, and leaves transmitting

Suggested Citation

  • Cynthia Tedore & Dan-Eric Nilsson, 2019. "Avian UV vision enhances leaf surface contrasts in forest environments," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-12, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:10:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-018-08142-5
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-08142-5
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    Cited by:

    1. Pengshan Xie & Yunchao Xu & Jingwen Wang & Dengji Li & Yuxuan Zhang & Zixin Zeng & Boxiang Gao & Quan Quan & Bowen Li & You Meng & Weijun Wang & Yezhan Li & Yan Yan & Yi Shen & Jia Sun & Johnny C. Ho, 2024. "Birdlike broadband neuromorphic visual sensor arrays for fusion imaging," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
    2. Marie-Christin Hardenbicker & Cynthia Tedore, 2023. "Peacock spiders prefer image statistics of average natural scenes over those of male ornamentation," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 34(5), pages 719-728.

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