2026-09-18T17:50:54Zhttps://publikationen.uni-tuebingen.de/oai/requestoai:publikationen.uni-tuebingen.de:10900/865192019-10-30T08:08:19Zcom_10900_42126col_10900_42133
Publikationssystem UB Tuebingen
advisor
Michiels, Nico (Prof. Dr.)
author
Santon, Matteo
2019-02-21T10:55:22Z
2019-02-21
517900661
http://hdl.handle.net/10900/86519
Animal interactions based on visual signals have been one of the oldest and most
interesting research topics for early naturalists and biologists, that led to a better
understanding of animal behaviour and its evolutionary implications.
This study underlines the importance of considering the perspective of the species of
interests when investigating visual communication in prey-predator interactions.
Indeed, inaccurate conclusions are often made when we interpret animal behaviour
basing ourselves on human vision, which outperforms that of most animals. Built on
this premise, this dissertation focuses on the visual interaction between a small marine
fish, the yellow black-faced triplefin, and one of its common cryptic predators, the black
scorpionfish. The research approach first aims at better understanding the visual
perspective of a triplefin when facing its predator (chapter 1 and 2), and then
behaviourally and theoretically tests a new form of active sensing in the context of this
prey-predator interaction (chapter 3).
The first chapter describes the contrast sensitivity function of triplefins, later
combined with other known visual features to estimate the amount of information that
this species can visually perceive from natural scenes where predators might be
concealed.
The second chapter investigates how triplefins perceive the eye of a
scorpionfish, and focuses on the unusual daytime eyeshine featured by this predator.
This study describes, quantifies the phenomenon and tests its potential role for pupil
camouflage in the context of visual inspection by triplefins under different light
scenarios.
The last chapter finally introduces and tests “diurnal active photolocation”, a new
mechanism of active sensing that redirects ambient light (rather than emitting sound
waves or electric fields) to detect reflective targets. By combining behavioural
experiments with theoretical visual modelling, this final study provides first evidence
for the functionality of diurnal active photolocation in triplefins by means of light
redirected from their iris. This process supplements regular vision by increasing the
chances of detection of a cryptic predator by exploiting its daytime eyeshine, and may
have strong implications for the evolution of fish eyes.
en
ubt-podok
Visual detection of a cryptic predator by its prey fish
PhDThesis
URL
https://publikationen.uni-tuebingen.de/xmlui/bitstream/10900/86519/1/2019.02.14%20Dissertation%20Matteo%20Santon%20FINAL.pdf
File
MD5
4e06f7fa0241485220470111900f79af
8548331
application/pdf
2019.02.14 Dissertation Matteo Santon FINAL.pdf
URL
https://publikationen.uni-tuebingen.de/xmlui/bitstream/10900/86519/3/2019.02.14%20Dissertation%20Matteo%20Santon%20FINAL.pdf.txt
File
MD5
8318e1544d68b27b19fa5dbb91f2d788
208886
text/plain
2019.02.14 Dissertation Matteo Santon FINAL.pdf.txt