Editorial: vision in cephalopods: part II

No description supplie

Feeding Kinematics, Suction, and Hydraulic Jetting Performance of Harbor Seals (Phoca vitulina)

The feeding kinematics, suction and hydraulic jetting capabilities of captive harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) were characterized during controlled feeding trials. Feeding trials were conducted using a feeding apparatus that allowed a choice between biting and suction, but also presented food that could be ingested only by suction. Subambient pressure exerted during suction feeding behaviors was directly measured using pressure transducers. The mean feeding cycle duration for suction-feeding events was significantly shorter (0.15±0.09 s; P<0.01) than biting feeding events (0.18±0.08 s). Subjects feeding in-water used both a suction and a biting feeding mode. Suction was the favored feeding mode (84% of all feeding events) compared to biting, but biting comprised 16% of feeding events. In addition, seals occasionally alternated suction with hydraulic jetting, or used hydraulic jetting independently, to remove fish from the apparatus. Suction and biting feeding modes were kinematically distinct regardless of feeding location (in-water vs. on-land). Suction was characterized by a significantly smaller gape (1.3±0.23 cm; P<0.001) and gape angle (12.9±2.02°), pursing of the rostral lips to form a circular aperture, and pursing of the lateral lips to occlude lateral gape. Biting was characterized by a large gape (3.63±0.21 cm) and gape angle (28.8±1.80°; P<0.001) and lip curling to expose teeth. The maximum subambient pressure recorded was 48.8 kPa. In addition, harbor seals were able to jet water at food items using suprambient pressure, also known as hydraulic jetting. The maximum hydraulic jetting force recorded was 53.9 kPa. Suction and hydraulic jetting where employed 90.5% and 9.5%, respectively, during underwater feeding events. Harbor seals displayed a wide repertoire of behaviorally flexible feeding strategies to ingest fish from the feeding apparatus. Such flexibility of feeding strategies and biomechanics likely forms the basis of their opportunistic, generalized feeding ecology and concomitant breadth of diet

What Pinnipeds Have to Say about Human Speech, Music, and the Evolution of Rhythm

Research on the evolution of human speech and music benefits from hypotheses and data generated in a number of disciplines. The purpose of this article is to illustrate the high relevance of pinniped research for the study of speech, musical rhythm, and their origins, bridging and complementing current research on primates and birds. We briefly discuss speech, vocal learning, and rhythm from an evolutionary and comparative perspective. We review the current state of the art on pinniped communication and behavior relevant to the evolution of human speech and music, showing interesting parallels to hypotheses on rhythmic behavior in early hominids. We suggest future research directions in terms of species to test and empirical data needed

Amphibisches Sehen bei Seehunden (Phoca vitulina)\textit {(Phoca vitulina)}

Seehunde $\textit {(Phoca vitulina)}$ sind amphibische Säugetiere. Die amphibische Lebensweise stellt eine Herausforderung für das visuelle System dar, da das Auge in zwei optisch sehr unterschiedlichen Medien Einsatz findet und spezifische Anpassungen des Auges an diese besondere visuelle Umgebung erforderlich sind. In dieser Arbeit wurden einige Aspekte des amphibischen Sehens bei Seehunden näher analysiert. Hierzu zählen eine psychophysikalische Bestimmung der Sehschärfe in Luft als Funktion der Umgebungshelligkeit sowie die Bestimmung der Ganglienzelldichte und -verteilung, worüber die retinale Auflösung berechnet werden konnte. Des Weiteren wurden die optischen Eigenschaften der Linsen im Hinblick auf Multifokalität untersucht, und es wurde mit der Untersuchung des optokinetischen Nystagmus der Frage nachgegangen, ob Bewegung als Qualität ein Parameter der visuellen Wahrnehmung der Seehunde darstellt

On route with harbor seals - How their senses contribute to orientation, navigation and foraging

Seals and sea lions are well-oriented in their habitat, the coastal regions and oceans, and are, moreover, successful hunters. During their movements between haul-out places and foraging grounds as well as during foraging, the sensory systems of seals and sea lions provide useful information, although the animals, and thus their sensory systems, face considerable challenges in their habitat and due to their amphibious lifestyle. In this review, in the first chapter, we compiled and later (chapter 4) discuss the information on the senses of seals and sea lions in general and their specific adaptations to habitat and lifestyle in particular. We hereby focus on the senses of harbor seals. Harbor seals turned into a model organism regarding the sensory systems due to intensive sensory research of the last decades. In the second and third chapter, the sensory basics are put into the context of orientation, navigation, and foraging. This allows formulating new research questions, such as where and how the information from different senses is integrated

The Pupillary Response of the Common Octopus (Octopus vulgaris)

Cephalopods have very conspicuous eyes that are often compared to fish eyes. However, in contrast to many fish, the eyes of cephalopods possess mobile pupils. To increase the knowledge of pupillary and thus visual function in cephalopods, the dynamics of the pupil of one of the model species among cephalopods, the common octopus (Octopus vulgaris), was determined in this study. We measured pupillary area as a function of ambient luminance to document the light and dark reaction of the octopus eye. The results show that weak light (<1 cd/m2) is enough to cause a pupil constriction in octopus, and that the pupil reacts fast to changing light conditions. The t50-value defined as the time required for achieving half-maximum constriction ranged from 0.45 to 1.29 s and maximal constriction from 10 to 20% of the fully dilated pupil area, depending on the experimental condition. Axial light had a stronger influence on pupil shape than light from above, which hints at a shadow effect of the horizontal slit pupil. We observed substantial variation of the pupil area under all light conditions indicating that light-independent factors such as arousal or the need to camouflage the eye affect pupil dilation/constriction. In conclusion, the documentation of pupil dynamics provides evidence that the pupil of octopus is adapted to low ambient light levels. Nevertheless it can quickly adapt to and thus function under brighter illumination and in a very inhomogeneous light environment, an ability mediated by the dynamic pupil in combination with previously described additional processes of light/dark adaptation in octopus

A harbor seal can transfer the same/different concept to new stimulus dimensions

We investigated the formation of an abstract concept of same/different in a harbor seal by means of a two-item same/different task. Stimuli were presented on a TFT monitor. The subject was trained to respond according to whether two horizontally aligned white shapes presented on a black background were the same, or different from each other, by giving a no-go or go response. Training comprised of four stages. First, the same/different task was trained with two shapes forming two same problems (A-A and B-B) and two different problems (A-B and B-A). After the learning criterion was reached, training proceeded with new pairs of shapes. In the second experimental stage, every problem was presented just five times before new problems were introduced. We showed that training to criterion with just two shapes resulted in item-specific learning, whereas reducing the number of presentations to five per problem led to the formation of a same/different learning set as well as some restricted relational learning. Training with trial-unique problems in the third stage of this study resulted in the formation of an abstract concept of same/different which was indicated by a highly significant performance in transfer tests with 120 novel problems. Finally, extra-dimensional transfer of the concept was tested. The harbor seal showed a significantly correct performance on transfer tests with 30 unfamiliar pattern and 60 unfamiliar brightness same/different problems, thus demonstrating that the concept is not restricted to the shape dimension originally learned, but can be generalized across stimulus dimensions

Multifocal lenses in a monochromat: the harbour seal

Previous photorefractive results from harbour seals indicated the presence of a multifocal lens. This was surprising because the evolution of multifocal lenses has served to compensate for chromatic aberration in animals with colour vision, which harbour seals as monochromats should not be capable of. To gain insight into the lens optics of these animals, we extended our photorefractive measurements in live seals under water and in air and, additionally, analyzed eight extracted juvenile harbour seal lenses with schlieren photography and a laser scanning technique. The results from all methods applied support the presence of multifocal lenses in harbour seals. However, the functional significance of multiple focal lengths in harbour seal lenses remains speculative. Interestingly, the slit pupils of harbour seals cannot be considered to be an adaptation to the multifocal optical system of the eye

Are harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) able to perceive and use polarised light?

Harbour seals are active at night and during the day and see well in both air and water. Polarised light, which is a well-known visual cue for orientation, navigation and foraging, is richly available in harbour seal habitats, both above and below the water surface. We hypothesised that an ability to detect and use polarised light could be valuable for seals, and thus tested if they are able to see this property of light. We performed two behavioural experiments, one involving object discrimination and the other involving object detection. These objects were presented to the seals as two-dimensional stimuli on a specially modified liquid crystal display that generated objects whose contrast was purely defined in terms of polarisation (i.e. objects lacked luminance contrast). In both experiments, the seals' performance did not deviate significantly from chance. In contrast, the seals showed a high baseline performance when presented with objects on a non-modified display (whose contrast was purely defined in terms of luminance). We conclude that harbour seals are unable to use polarised light in our experimental context. It remains for future work to elucidate if they are polarisation insensitive per se