Harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) can perceive optic flow under water.
Optic flow, the pattern of apparent motion elicited on the retina during movement, has been demonstrated to be widely used by animals living in the aerial habitat, whereas underwater optic flow has not been intensively studied so far. However optic flow would also provide aquatic animals with valuab...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:bfe1065a03af477a97566d220232f6ac 2023-05-15T16:33:09+02:00 Harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) can perceive optic flow under water. Nele Gläser Björn Mauck Farid I Kandil Markus Lappe Guido Dehnhardt Frederike D Hanke 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0103555 https://doaj.org/article/bfe1065a03af477a97566d220232f6ac EN eng Public Library of Science (PLoS) http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4110048?pdf=render https://doaj.org/toc/1932-6203 1932-6203 doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0103555 https://doaj.org/article/bfe1065a03af477a97566d220232f6ac PLoS ONE, Vol 9, Iss 7, p e103555 (2014) Medicine R Science Q article 2014 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0103555 2022-12-31T00:11:12Z Optic flow, the pattern of apparent motion elicited on the retina during movement, has been demonstrated to be widely used by animals living in the aerial habitat, whereas underwater optic flow has not been intensively studied so far. However optic flow would also provide aquatic animals with valuable information about their own movement relative to the environment; even under conditions in which vision is generally thought to be drastically impaired, e. g. in turbid waters. Here, we tested underwater optic flow perception for the first time in a semi-aquatic mammal, the harbor seal, by simulating a forward movement on a straight path through a cloud of dots on an underwater projection. The translatory motion pattern expanded radially out of a singular point along the direction of heading, the focus of expansion. We assessed the seal's accuracy in determining the simulated heading in a task, in which the seal had to judge whether a cross superimposed on the flow field was deviating from or congruent with the actual focus of expansion. The seal perceived optic flow and determined deviations from the simulated heading with a threshold of 0.6 deg of visual angle. Optic flow is thus a source of information seals, fish and most likely aquatic species in general may rely on for e. g. controlling locomotion and orientation under water. This leads to the notion that optic flow seems to be a tool universally used by any moving organism possessing eyes. Article in Journal/Newspaper harbor seal Phoca vitulina Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles PLoS ONE 9 7 e103555 |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
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Medicine R Science Q |
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Medicine R Science Q Nele Gläser Björn Mauck Farid I Kandil Markus Lappe Guido Dehnhardt Frederike D Hanke Harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) can perceive optic flow under water. |
topic_facet |
Medicine R Science Q |
description |
Optic flow, the pattern of apparent motion elicited on the retina during movement, has been demonstrated to be widely used by animals living in the aerial habitat, whereas underwater optic flow has not been intensively studied so far. However optic flow would also provide aquatic animals with valuable information about their own movement relative to the environment; even under conditions in which vision is generally thought to be drastically impaired, e. g. in turbid waters. Here, we tested underwater optic flow perception for the first time in a semi-aquatic mammal, the harbor seal, by simulating a forward movement on a straight path through a cloud of dots on an underwater projection. The translatory motion pattern expanded radially out of a singular point along the direction of heading, the focus of expansion. We assessed the seal's accuracy in determining the simulated heading in a task, in which the seal had to judge whether a cross superimposed on the flow field was deviating from or congruent with the actual focus of expansion. The seal perceived optic flow and determined deviations from the simulated heading with a threshold of 0.6 deg of visual angle. Optic flow is thus a source of information seals, fish and most likely aquatic species in general may rely on for e. g. controlling locomotion and orientation under water. This leads to the notion that optic flow seems to be a tool universally used by any moving organism possessing eyes. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Nele Gläser Björn Mauck Farid I Kandil Markus Lappe Guido Dehnhardt Frederike D Hanke |
author_facet |
Nele Gläser Björn Mauck Farid I Kandil Markus Lappe Guido Dehnhardt Frederike D Hanke |
author_sort |
Nele Gläser |
title |
Harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) can perceive optic flow under water. |
title_short |
Harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) can perceive optic flow under water. |
title_full |
Harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) can perceive optic flow under water. |
title_fullStr |
Harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) can perceive optic flow under water. |
title_full_unstemmed |
Harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) can perceive optic flow under water. |
title_sort |
harbor seals (phoca vitulina) can perceive optic flow under water. |
publisher |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
publishDate |
2014 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0103555 https://doaj.org/article/bfe1065a03af477a97566d220232f6ac |
genre |
harbor seal Phoca vitulina |
genre_facet |
harbor seal Phoca vitulina |
op_source |
PLoS ONE, Vol 9, Iss 7, p e103555 (2014) |
op_relation |
http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4110048?pdf=render https://doaj.org/toc/1932-6203 1932-6203 doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0103555 https://doaj.org/article/bfe1065a03af477a97566d220232f6ac |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0103555 |
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PLoS ONE |
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9 |
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7 |
container_start_page |
e103555 |
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