Brain Mechanisms of Visual Localization by Frogs and Toads

Ingle, Dwight J.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4684-4412-4_9

Cited by 187 publications

(85 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…The SC is highly preserved phylogenetically (Dean et al, 1989), and it has been central for guiding and coordinating visual orienting in species with a far simpler visual system than primates (Ingle, 1983). The short latency transient visual response associated with evolutionarily older achromatic pathways (e.g., retinotectal path) provides a rich spatial signal for reflexive orienting (Boehnke and Munoz, 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Separate Visual Signals for Saccade Initiation during Target Selection in the Primate Superior Colliculus

White¹,

Munoz²

2011

J. Neurosci.

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The primary function of the superior colliculus (SC) is to orient the visual system toward behaviorally relevant stimuli defined by features such as color. However, a longstanding view has held that visual activity in the SC arises exclusively from achromatic pathways. Recently, we reported evidence that the primate SC is highly sensitive to signals originating from chromatic pathways, but these signals are delayed relative to luminance signals (White et al., 2009). Here, we describe a functional consequence of this difference in visual arrival time on the processes leading to target selection and saccade initiation. Two rhesus monkeys performed a simple color-singleton selection task in which stimuli carried a chromatic component only (target and distractors were isoluminant with the background, but differed in chromaticity) or a combined chromatic-achromatic component (36% luminance contrast added equally to all stimuli). Although visual responses were delayed in the chromatic-only relative to the combined chromatic-achromatic condition, SC neurons discriminated the target from distractors at approximately the same time provided stimulus chromaticity was held constant. However, saccades were triggered sooner, and with more errors, with the chromatic-achromatic condition, suggesting that luminance signals associated with these stimuli increased the probability of triggering a saccade before the target color was adequately discriminated. These results suggest that separate mechanisms may independently influence the saccadic command in the SC, one linked to the arrival time of pertinent visual signals, and another linked to the output of the visual selection process.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Separate Visual Signals for Saccade Initiation during Target Selection in the Primate Superior Colliculus

White¹,

Munoz²

2011

J. Neurosci.

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“…At one end of the continuum, we find predators that, by relying primarily on a few key prey features ['sign stimuli' (Tinbergen, 1951)], make rapid decisions and do minimal classifying of prey into particular types. Of particular note are the remarkably similar prey identification algorithms used by neurologically diverse animals, including amphibians (Ingle, 1983;Ewert, 2004), cuttlefish (Darmaillacq et al, 2004) and mantises (Prete et al, 2011). In some of these examples, such as frogs and toads, predators rapidly capture prey with a ballistic flick of the tongue after swift, efficient classification based on seeing an object of a specific size range moving in a specific orientation (Barlow, 1953;Lettvin et al, 1959;Ewert, 1997;Ewert, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The discerning predator: decision rules underlying prey classification by a mosquito-eating jumping spider

Nelson

Jackson

2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYEvarcha culicivora is an East African jumping spider that feeds indirectly on vertebrate blood by choosing blood-fed female Anopheles mosquitoes as prey. Previous studies have shown that this predator can identify its preferred prey even when restricted to using only visual cues. Here, we used lures and virtual mosquitoes to investigate the optical cues underlying this predatorʼs prey-choice behaviour. We made lures by dissecting and then reconstructing dead mosquitoes, combining the head plus thorax with different abdomens. Depending on the experiment, lures were either moving or motionless. Findings from the lure experiments suggested that, for E. culicivora, seeing a blood-fed female mosquitoʼs abdomen on a lure was a necessary, but not sufficient, cue by which preferred prey was identified, as cues from the abdomen needed to be paired with cues from the head and thorax of a mosquito. Conversely, when abdomens were not visible or were identical, spiders based their decisions on the appearance of the head plus thorax of mosquitoes, choosing prey with female characteristics. Findings from a subsequent experiment using animated 3D virtual mosquitoes suggest that it is specifically the mosquitoʼs antennae that influence E. culicivoraʼs prey-choice decisions. Our results show that E. culicivora uses a complex process for prey classification.

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“…the 'software' versus the 'hardware', respectively (Ewert, 2004)]. This is evidenced by the similarities in the preyrecognition algorithms used by animals with very different brains, for instance, amphibians (Ingle, 1983;Roth, 1987;Ewert, 2004), the amphibious fish Periophthalmus koehlreuteri (Ewert, 2004), cuttlefish (Darmaillacq et al, 2004) and mantises (Kral and Prete, 2004). Even more interesting is the fact that creatures much smaller than mantises, for instance, the jumping spider Evarcha culicivora, can combine different subsets of category-specific stimulus elements into a coherent perception of a potential prey item (Nelson and Jackson, 2012; see also Harland and Jackson, 2000).…”

Section: Implicit Representation Of Preymentioning

confidence: 99%

Visual stimulus characteristics that elicit tracking and striking in the Praying Mantises, Parasphendale affinis (Giglio-Tos), Popa spurca (Stål), and Sphodromantis lineola (Burmeister)

Prete

Theis

Dominguez

et al. 2013

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYWe tested three species of praying mantis, Parasphendale affinis, Popa spurca and Sphodromantis lineola, with computergenerated stimuli that differed in size, contrast, configuration and movement pattern to determine the effects of these parameters on visual tracking and striking behavior. Overall, black disks moving erratically against a white background were strong releasers of both behaviors. When stimulus presentation order was randomized by size, P. affinis and P. spurca struck at progressively higher rates as the stimuli enlarged up to 44 deg; S. lineola struck most at intermediate sized (10-20 deg) disks. When disks were size-ordered from small to large, P. affinis and S. lineola struck at the smaller disks at higher rates; however, when the order was reversed, the early appearance of large disks suppressed subsequent responses to the smaller disks. Stimulus order did not differentially affect the responses of P. spurca. All species responded at higher rates to black disks moving against a white background versus the reverse. However, only P. spurca and S. lineola responded at higher rates to relatively darker grey disks, only P. affinis responded to mottled grey disks moving against an identically patterned background, and only P. spurca struck more frequently in response to rectangular stimuli oriented parallel (versus orthogonal) to their direction of movement. In conjunction with data on other species, these results support the hypothesis that praying mantises recognize prey based on assessment of several category-specific, spatiotemporal features, e.g. size, contrast, speed, movement pattern and leading edge length.

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Brain Mechanisms of Visual Localization by Frogs and Toads

Cited by 187 publications

References 44 publications

Separate Visual Signals for Saccade Initiation during Target Selection in the Primate Superior Colliculus

Separate Visual Signals for Saccade Initiation during Target Selection in the Primate Superior Colliculus

The discerning predator: decision rules underlying prey classification by a mosquito-eating jumping spider

Visual stimulus characteristics that elicit tracking and striking in the Praying Mantises, Parasphendale affinis (Giglio-Tos), Popa spurca (Stål), and Sphodromantis lineola (Burmeister)

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