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Emerging frontiers in visual ecology

Caves, Eleanor M. ; Cheney, Karen L. ; Dacke, Marie LU ; Dixit, Tanmay ; Fialko, Kristina ; Franklin, Amanda M. ; Jessop, Anna Lee ; Hart, Nathan S. ; de Ibarra, Natalie Hempel and Morehouse, Nathan I. , et al. (2025) In Journal of Experimental Biology 228(15).
Abstract

Visual ecology, the study of how animals acquire and respond to visual information in nature, has grown rapidly over the past few decades. Research in this field has transformed our understanding of fundamental processes, such as the neurobiological basis of behavior and the diversification of species through sensory drive. The recent growth in the field has been accompanied by leaps in our understanding of the diversity of visual systems and in the development of novel technologies and techniques (for example, those allowing us to measure scenes and signals). With such growth, however, it is more important than ever to integrate wide perspectives and expertise to move the field forward in the most productive way. To that end, in summer... (More)

Visual ecology, the study of how animals acquire and respond to visual information in nature, has grown rapidly over the past few decades. Research in this field has transformed our understanding of fundamental processes, such as the neurobiological basis of behavior and the diversification of species through sensory drive. The recent growth in the field has been accompanied by leaps in our understanding of the diversity of visual systems and in the development of novel technologies and techniques (for example, those allowing us to measure scenes and signals). With such growth, however, it is more important than ever to integrate wide perspectives and expertise to move the field forward in the most productive way. To that end, in summer 2024, 30 visual ecologists from around the world – spanning all career stages – met to discuss the state of the field. From that meeting, we identified two broad emerging themes in the study of visual ecology. (1) Can we further ‘step inside’ the perceptual experience of a non-human animal? (2) Can foundational ‘rules’ of vision and visual stimuli be identified? Although large questions such as these can feel unanswerable, this is where some of the most exciting discoveries in visual ecology remain to be made. Here, we outline eight relevant areas of research and identify ways in which researchers can bring us closer to answering these complex questions.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Animal vision, Color vision, Motion vision, Perceptual processing, Spatial vision, Visual physiology
in
Journal of Experimental Biology
volume
228
issue
15
article number
jeb250537
publisher
The Company of Biologists Ltd
external identifiers
  • scopus:105012158433
  • pmid:40693401
ISSN
0022-0949
DOI
10.1242/jeb.250537
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2025 Company of Biologists Ltd. All rights reserved.
id
9b47f59e-2ab4-4bbe-b3a4-1dedf0a43b58
date added to LUP
2025-12-04 14:45:41
date last changed
2025-12-04 14:46:39
@article{9b47f59e-2ab4-4bbe-b3a4-1dedf0a43b58,
  abstract     = {{<p>Visual ecology, the study of how animals acquire and respond to visual information in nature, has grown rapidly over the past few decades. Research in this field has transformed our understanding of fundamental processes, such as the neurobiological basis of behavior and the diversification of species through sensory drive. The recent growth in the field has been accompanied by leaps in our understanding of the diversity of visual systems and in the development of novel technologies and techniques (for example, those allowing us to measure scenes and signals). With such growth, however, it is more important than ever to integrate wide perspectives and expertise to move the field forward in the most productive way. To that end, in summer 2024, 30 visual ecologists from around the world – spanning all career stages – met to discuss the state of the field. From that meeting, we identified two broad emerging themes in the study of visual ecology. (1) Can we further ‘step inside’ the perceptual experience of a non-human animal? (2) Can foundational ‘rules’ of vision and visual stimuli be identified? Although large questions such as these can feel unanswerable, this is where some of the most exciting discoveries in visual ecology remain to be made. Here, we outline eight relevant areas of research and identify ways in which researchers can bring us closer to answering these complex questions.</p>}},
  author       = {{Caves, Eleanor M. and Cheney, Karen L. and Dacke, Marie and Dixit, Tanmay and Fialko, Kristina and Franklin, Amanda M. and Jessop, Anna Lee and Hart, Nathan S. and de Ibarra, Natalie Hempel and Morehouse, Nathan I. and Morgan, Rachael and Murugavel, Baheerathan and Oakley, Todd and Speiser, Daniel I. and Stoddard, Mary Caswell and Warrant, Eric J. and Johnsen, Sönke and Schweikert, Lorian E.}},
  issn         = {{0022-0949}},
  keywords     = {{Animal vision; Color vision; Motion vision; Perceptual processing; Spatial vision; Visual physiology}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{15}},
  publisher    = {{The Company of Biologists Ltd}},
  series       = {{Journal of Experimental Biology}},
  title        = {{Emerging frontiers in visual ecology}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.250537}},
  doi          = {{10.1242/jeb.250537}},
  volume       = {{228}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}