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The contribution of single and double cones to spectral sensitivity in budgerigars during changing light conditions.

Lind, Olle LU ; Chavez, Johanna LU and Kelber, Almut LU (2014) In Journal of Comparative Physiology A 200(3). p.197-207
Abstract
Bird colour vision is mediated by single cones, while double cones and rods mediate luminance vision in bright and dim light, respectively. In daylight conditions, birds use colour vision to discriminate large objects such as fruit and plumage patches, and luminance vision to detect fine spatial detail and motion. However, decreasing light intensity favours achromatic mechanisms and eventually, in dim light, luminance vision outperforms colour vision in all visual tasks. We have used behavioural tests in budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) to investigate how single cones, double cones and rods contribute to spectral sensitivity for large (3.4°) static monochromatic stimuli at light intensities ranging from 0.08 to 63.5 cd/m(2). We found... (More)
Bird colour vision is mediated by single cones, while double cones and rods mediate luminance vision in bright and dim light, respectively. In daylight conditions, birds use colour vision to discriminate large objects such as fruit and plumage patches, and luminance vision to detect fine spatial detail and motion. However, decreasing light intensity favours achromatic mechanisms and eventually, in dim light, luminance vision outperforms colour vision in all visual tasks. We have used behavioural tests in budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) to investigate how single cones, double cones and rods contribute to spectral sensitivity for large (3.4°) static monochromatic stimuli at light intensities ranging from 0.08 to 63.5 cd/m(2). We found no influences of rods at any intensity level. Single cones dominate the spectral sensitivity function at intensities above 1.1 cd/m(2), as predicted by a receptor noise-limited colour discrimination model. Below 1.1 cd/m(2), spectral sensitivity is lower than expected at all wavelengths except 575 nm, which corresponds to double cone function. We suggest that luminance vision mediated by double cones restores visual sensitivity when single cone sensitivity quickly decreases at light intensities close to the absolute threshold of colour vision. (Less)
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Single cone, Spectral sensitivity, Chromatic mechanisms, Double cone, Achromatic mechanisms
in
Journal of Comparative Physiology A
volume
200
issue
3
pages
197 - 207
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • wos:000331651100003
  • pmid:24366429
  • scopus:84894295132
  • pmid:24366429
ISSN
1432-1351
DOI
10.1007/s00359-013-0878-7
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
35efc208-b29c-4911-a245-95174068f291 (old id 4223031)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:56:44
date last changed
2022-03-27 20:59:40
@article{35efc208-b29c-4911-a245-95174068f291,
  abstract     = {{Bird colour vision is mediated by single cones, while double cones and rods mediate luminance vision in bright and dim light, respectively. In daylight conditions, birds use colour vision to discriminate large objects such as fruit and plumage patches, and luminance vision to detect fine spatial detail and motion. However, decreasing light intensity favours achromatic mechanisms and eventually, in dim light, luminance vision outperforms colour vision in all visual tasks. We have used behavioural tests in budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) to investigate how single cones, double cones and rods contribute to spectral sensitivity for large (3.4°) static monochromatic stimuli at light intensities ranging from 0.08 to 63.5 cd/m(2). We found no influences of rods at any intensity level. Single cones dominate the spectral sensitivity function at intensities above 1.1 cd/m(2), as predicted by a receptor noise-limited colour discrimination model. Below 1.1 cd/m(2), spectral sensitivity is lower than expected at all wavelengths except 575 nm, which corresponds to double cone function. We suggest that luminance vision mediated by double cones restores visual sensitivity when single cone sensitivity quickly decreases at light intensities close to the absolute threshold of colour vision.}},
  author       = {{Lind, Olle and Chavez, Johanna and Kelber, Almut}},
  issn         = {{1432-1351}},
  keywords     = {{Single cone; Spectral sensitivity; Chromatic mechanisms; Double cone; Achromatic mechanisms}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{197--207}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Journal of Comparative Physiology A}},
  title        = {{The contribution of single and double cones to spectral sensitivity in budgerigars during changing light conditions.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00359-013-0878-7}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s00359-013-0878-7}},
  volume       = {{200}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}