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Higher-Order neural processing tunes motion neurons to visual ecology in three species of hawkmoths

Stöckl, A. L. LU ; O'Carroll, David LU and Warrant, E. J. LU orcid (2017) In Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 284(1857).
Abstract

To sample information optimally, sensory systems must adapt to the ecological demands of each animal species. These adaptations can occur peripherally, in the anatomical structures of sensory organs and their receptors; and centrally, as higher-order neural processing in the brain. While a rich body of investigations has focused on peripheral adaptations, our understanding is sparse when it comes to central mechanisms. We quantified how peripheral adaptations in the eyes, and central adaptations in the wide-field motion vision system, set the trade-off between resolution and sensitivity in three species of hawkmoths active at very different light levels: nocturnal Deilephila elpenor, crepuscular Manduca sexta, and diurnal Macroglossum... (More)

To sample information optimally, sensory systems must adapt to the ecological demands of each animal species. These adaptations can occur peripherally, in the anatomical structures of sensory organs and their receptors; and centrally, as higher-order neural processing in the brain. While a rich body of investigations has focused on peripheral adaptations, our understanding is sparse when it comes to central mechanisms. We quantified how peripheral adaptations in the eyes, and central adaptations in the wide-field motion vision system, set the trade-off between resolution and sensitivity in three species of hawkmoths active at very different light levels: nocturnal Deilephila elpenor, crepuscular Manduca sexta, and diurnal Macroglossum stellatarum. Using optical measurements and physiological recordings from the photoreceptors and wide-field motion neurons in the lobula complex, we demonstrate that all three species use spatial and temporal summation to improve visual performance in dim light. The diurnal Macroglossum relies least on summation, but can only see at brighter intensities. Manduca, with large sensitive eyes, relies less on neural summation than the smaller eyed Deilephila, but both species attain similar visual performance at nocturnal light levels. Our results reveal howthe visual systems of these three hawkmoth species are intimately matched to their visual ecologies.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Dim light, Evolution, Higher-order processing, Invertebrate, Vision
in
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
volume
284
issue
1857
article number
20170880
publisher
Royal Society Publishing
external identifiers
  • scopus:85021067512
  • pmid:28637860
  • wos:000405955900018
ISSN
0962-8452
DOI
10.1098/rspb.2017.0880
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
def918fd-98b1-4f56-bc57-70abd0a988a2
date added to LUP
2017-08-30 11:26:47
date last changed
2024-02-29 20:37:11
@article{def918fd-98b1-4f56-bc57-70abd0a988a2,
  abstract     = {{<p>To sample information optimally, sensory systems must adapt to the ecological demands of each animal species. These adaptations can occur peripherally, in the anatomical structures of sensory organs and their receptors; and centrally, as higher-order neural processing in the brain. While a rich body of investigations has focused on peripheral adaptations, our understanding is sparse when it comes to central mechanisms. We quantified how peripheral adaptations in the eyes, and central adaptations in the wide-field motion vision system, set the trade-off between resolution and sensitivity in three species of hawkmoths active at very different light levels: nocturnal Deilephila elpenor, crepuscular Manduca sexta, and diurnal Macroglossum stellatarum. Using optical measurements and physiological recordings from the photoreceptors and wide-field motion neurons in the lobula complex, we demonstrate that all three species use spatial and temporal summation to improve visual performance in dim light. The diurnal Macroglossum relies least on summation, but can only see at brighter intensities. Manduca, with large sensitive eyes, relies less on neural summation than the smaller eyed Deilephila, but both species attain similar visual performance at nocturnal light levels. Our results reveal howthe visual systems of these three hawkmoth species are intimately matched to their visual ecologies.</p>}},
  author       = {{Stöckl, A. L. and O'Carroll, David and Warrant, E. J.}},
  issn         = {{0962-8452}},
  keywords     = {{Dim light; Evolution; Higher-order processing; Invertebrate; Vision}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{06}},
  number       = {{1857}},
  publisher    = {{Royal Society Publishing}},
  series       = {{Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences}},
  title        = {{Higher-Order neural processing tunes motion neurons to visual ecology in three species of hawkmoths}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2017.0880}},
  doi          = {{10.1098/rspb.2017.0880}},
  volume       = {{284}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}