Avian UV vision enhances leaf surface contrasts in forest environments

Cynthia Tedore () and Dan-Eric Nilsson
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Cynthia Tedore: Lund University
Dan-Eric Nilsson: Lund University

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract UV vision is prevalent, but we know little about its utility in common general tasks, as in resolving habitat structure. Here we visualize vegetated habitats using a multispectral camera with channels mimicking bird photoreceptor sensitivities across the UV-visible spectrum. We find that the contrast between upper and lower leaf surfaces is higher in a UV channel than in any visible channel, and that this makes leaf position and orientation stand out clearly. This was unexpected since both leaf surfaces reflect similarly small proportions (1–2%) of incident UV light. The strong UV-contrast can be explained by downwelling light being brighter than upwelling, and leaves transmitting

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-08142-5

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