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Current research

 

1. Colour vision and communication in aquatic environments

 

b. The world's most complex colour and polarisation vision system: vision in stomatopods

 

Stomatopods (mantis shrimps) are colourful marine crustaceans which live in coral reefs of tropical oceans. They have unusual eyes that contain at 16 different types of photoreceptors, with 11-12 colour receptors (below), several colour filters and many polarisation receptors. They display a great variety of coloured, polarized and fluorescent body markings and they have been shown to possess true colour and polarisation vision.

 
     


Sensitivity peaks for colour photoreceptors
in the stomatopod eye

 


Odontodactylus scyllarus
     
 

A stomatopod viewed with a horizontally linear polarised filter (left) and a vertically linear polarised filter (right). Note the change of colour from white to red of the antennal scales and uropod when the polaroid is turned.
Photos courtesy of Roy Caldwell.

 


The stomatopod retina with two dye injected cells

  

We investigate the physiology of the stomatopod retinal photoreceptors by means of intracellular electrophysiology. It appears that these creatures have one of the world's most complex colour and polarisation systems, greatly superior to our own!

In order to get clues on how the great variety of visual information about colour, linear and circular polarization is decoded below the retina, the optic neuropils (lamina ganglionaris, medulla externa and medulla interna in figure left bottom) are studied with neuroanatomical methods.

The complex retinal and neural basis of the stomatopod's visual system is challenging from the perspective of neuroscience and is another example for how amazing nervous system functions.

Experimental field: electrophysiology, histology, fieldwork, biochemistry, retinal design, visual ecology and animal behaviour.

 
 
 
 

Cross-section of the stomatopod eye

 

Investigators: Prof. Justin Marshall, Dr. Sonja Kleinlogel, Prof. Tom Cronin, Chiou Tsyr-Hue (Short) and Prof. Roy Caldwell

 

Last updated: Feb 2010 by Kylie Greig

Queensland Brain Institute
University of Queensland
Brisbane Queensland 4072 Australia