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Journal of Experimental Biology, Vol 199, Issue 7 1467-1475, Copyright © 1996 by Company of Biologists
JOURNAL ARTICLES |
T Labhart
In crickets, polarized-light information from the blue sky is processed by polarization-opponent interneurones (POL-neurones). These neurones receive input from the polarization-sensitive blue receptors found in the specialized dorsal rim area of the compound eye. Even under optimal conditions, the degree of polarization d does not exceed 0.75 in the blue region of the spectrum and it is normally much lower. The aim of this study is to assess how POL-neurones perform at low, physiologically relevant degrees of polarization. The spiking activity of POL-neurones is a sinusoidal function of e-vector orientation with a 180 ° period. The modulation amplitude of this function decreases strongly as the degree of polarization decreases. However, our data indicate that POL-neurones can signal e-vector information at d-values as low as 0.05, which would allow the polarization-sensitive system of crickets to exploit polarized light from the sky for orientation even under unfavourable meteorological conditions.
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J. M. Douglas, T. W. Cronin, T.-H. Chiou, and N. J. Dominy Light habitats and the role of polarized iridescence in the sensory ecology of neotropical nymphalid butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) J. Exp. Biol., March 1, 2007; 210(5): 788 - 799. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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J. Stalleicken, M. Mukhida, T. Labhart, R. Wehner, B. Frost, and H. Mouritsen Do monarch butterflies use polarized skylight for migratory orientation? J. Exp. Biol., June 15, 2005; 208(12): 2399 - 2408. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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R. M. Glantz Polarization analysis in the crayfish visual system J. Exp. Biol., March 9, 2002; 204(14): 2383 - 2390. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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I. Pomozi, G. Horvath, and R. Wehner How the clear-sky angle of polarization pattern continues underneath clouds: full-sky measurements and implications for animal orientation J. Exp. Biol., January 9, 2001; 204(17): 2933 - 2942. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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T Labhart How polarization-sensitive interneurones of crickets see the polarization pattern of the sky: a field study with an opto-electronic model neurone J. Exp. Biol., January 4, 1999; 202(7): 757 - 770. [Abstract] [PDF]
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