Catalogue Search | MBRL
Are you sure you want to remove the book from the shelf?
{{itemTitle}}
799
result(s) for
"Camouflage (Biology)"
Sort by:
Hide-and-seek science : animal camouflage
Shows how animals use camouflage in seven different ecosystems by asking the reader to find all the animals in each picture.
Book
When taxonomy and biological control researchers unite: Species delimitation of Eadya parasitoids
The invasive eucalyptus tortoise beetle, Paropsis charybdis, defoliates plantations of Eucalyptus nitens in New Zealand. Recent efforts to identify host specific biological control agents (parasitoids) from Tasmania, Australia, have focused on the larval parasitoid wasp, Eadya paropsidis (Braconidae), first described in 1978. In Tasmania, Eadya has been reared from Paropsisterna agricola (genus abbreviated Pst.), a smaller paropsine that feeds as a larva on juvenile rather than adult foliage of Eucalyptus nitens. To determine which of the many paropsine beetle hosts native to Tasmania are utilized by E. paropsidis, and to rule out the presence of cryptic species, a molecular phylogenetic approach was combined with host data from rearing experiments from multiple locations across six years. Sampling included 188 wasps and 94 beetles for molecular data alone. Two mitochondrial genes (COI and Cytb) and one nuclear gene (28S) were analyzed to assess the species limits in the parasitoid wasps. The mitochondrial genes were congruent in delimiting four separate phylogenetic species, all supported by morphological examinations of Eadya specimens collected throughout Tasmania. Eadya paropsidis was true to the type description, and was almost exclusively associated with P. tasmanica. A new cryptic species similar to E. paropsidis, Eadya sp. 3, was readily reared from Pst. agricola and P. charybdis from all sites and all years. Eadya sp. 3 represents the best candidate for biological control of P. charybdis and was determined as the species undergoing host range testing in New Zealand for its potential as a biological control agent. Another new species, Eadya sp. 1, was morphologically distinctive and attacked multiple hosts. The most common host was Pst. variicollis, but was also reared from Pst. nobilitata and Pst. selmani. Eadya sp. 1 may have potential for control against Pst. variicollis, a new incursion in New Zealand, and possibly Pst. selmani in Ireland. Our molecular data suggests that Pst. variicollis is in need of taxonomic revision and the geographic source of the beetle in New Zealand may not be Tasmania. Eadya sp. 2 was rarely collected and attacked P. aegrota elliotti and P. charybdis. Most species of Eadya present in Tasmania are not host specific to one beetle species alone, but demonstrate some host plasticity across the genera Paropsisterna and Paropsis. This study is an excellent example of collaborative phylogenetic and biological control research prior to the release of prospective biological control agents, and has important implications for the Eucalyptus industry worldwide.
Journal Article
Perfectly hidden : the animal kingdom's fascinating camouflage
Discover the animal kingdom's 35 best natural masters of disguise.
Book
Look again : secrets of animal camouflage
\"The award-winning team of Steve Jenkins and Robin Page introduce young readers to some of the stealthiest, most astonishingly camouflaged animals in the natural world and ask them to seek out these sneaky animals hiding in plain sight!\"-- Publisher's description.
Book
“You Must Become a Chameleon to Survive”: Adolescent Experiences of Camouflaging
Camouflaging includes strategies used by individuals to mask or hide autistic traits. Research has shown that both autistic and neurotypical individuals engage in camouflaging and that there may be sex differences in the reasons for camouflaging in autistic adults. The purpose of this qualitative study was to extend previous research on the lived experience of camouflaging through exploring camouflaging motivations and consequences in autistic and neurotypical adolescents through both questionnaires (n = 132) and semi-structured interviews (n = 19). Results revealed trends in camouflaging motivations and consequences by diagnosis and sex, as well as by sex within the autistic group. These findings further inform our understanding of camouflaging and why it may be reported as particularly detrimental for autistic females.
Journal Article
Quantifying camouflage: how to predict detectability from appearance
Background
Quantifying the conspicuousness of objects against particular backgrounds is key to understanding the evolution and adaptive value of animal coloration, and in designing effective camouflage. Quantifying detectability can reveal how colour patterns affect survival, how animals’ appearances influence habitat preferences, and how receiver visual systems work. Advances in calibrated digital imaging are enabling the capture of objective visual information, but it remains unclear which methods are best for measuring detectability. Numerous descriptions and models of appearance have been used to infer the detectability of animals, but these models are rarely empirically validated or directly compared to one another. We compared the performance of human ‘predators’ to a bank of contemporary methods for quantifying the appearance of camouflaged prey. Background matching was assessed using several established methods, including sophisticated feature-based pattern analysis, granularity approaches and a range of luminance and contrast difference measures. Disruptive coloration is a further camouflage strategy where high contrast patterns disrupt they prey’s tell-tale outline, making it more difficult to detect. Disruptive camouflage has been studied intensely over the past decade, yet defining and measuring it have proven far more problematic. We assessed how well existing disruptive coloration measures predicted capture times. Additionally, we developed a new method for measuring edge disruption based on an understanding of sensory processing and the way in which false edges are thought to interfere with animal outlines.
Results
Our novel measure of disruptive coloration was the best predictor of capture times overall, highlighting the importance of false edges in concealment over and above pattern or luminance matching.
Conclusions
The efficacy of our new method for measuring disruptive camouflage together with its biological plausibility and computational efficiency represents a substantial advance in our understanding of the measurement, mechanism and definition of disruptive camouflage. Our study also provides the first test of the efficacy of many established methods for quantifying how conspicuous animals are against particular backgrounds. The validation of these methods opens up new lines of investigation surrounding the form and function of different types of camouflage, and may apply more broadly to the evolution of any visual signal.
Journal Article
Phenotypic plasticity of Phenacovolva rosea results in various camouflage efficiencies on different coral host species
Animal camouflage in mollusks in the Family Ovulidae involves imitating the color and pattern of their host coral to evade predators. However, the extent to which they adapt to host color across regions and coral species remains unquantified. The camouflage efficiency of
Phenacovolva rosea
across various coral hosts along the coast of Vietnam was assessed. A total of 57
Ph. rosea
specimens collected from five coastal sites in Vietnam were photographed with their hosts in the field. The colors of mollusk and host were comparatively analyzed to study contrasts between them. Generalized Linear Model (GLM) analysis investigated factors influencing camouflage efficiency, including host species and region. This revealed a significant effect of coral species identity on mollusk camouflage efficiency, with the lowest contrast recorded for an
Astrogorgia
sp. and the highest for
Menella
sp. Region did not significantly influence camouflage efficiency. Linear regression analysis demonstrated that the coral host color explained 30% of the total variance in mollusk color. This study further revealed that
Ph. rosea
effectively adapts its color to match the coral hosts. The mechanism behind this adaptation remains unknown, but the presumed phenotypic plasticity allowed by nutritional homochromy is the most likely candidate. Poor color adaptation to
Menella
sp. possibly arises from recent individual migration, maladaptive traits, or alternative color strategies. Overall, phenotypic plasticity in
Ph. rosea
may play a significant role in survival on different host species in different environments.
Journal Article