Jour Fixe: Daniela Rößler "Hungry Eyes: An Experimental Framework Testing Eye Camouflage in Active Predators"

The Zukunftskolleg invited everyone to our jour fixe led by Daniela Rößler.

We invited you to our digital Jour fixe on Tuesday, 1 February. 

Daniela Rößler (Postdoctoral Fellow / Dept. of Biology) spoke about "Hungry Eyes: An Experimental Framework Testing Eye Camouflage in Active Predators".

Abstract:

Effective camouflage can substantially increase survival in prey animals by concealing them from predators. But do predators also use camouflage to reduce detection by prey?

Eyes can be a limiting factor in camouflage because they are highly conspicuous and stand out from the rest of an animal’s body. They can convey information, such as the position of an animal’s head or where it is looking. Many species exploit the salient nature of eyes by displaying exaggerated eye spots or “fake eyes”, such as those on butterfly wings, to deter predators. Equally widespread are distinct facial markings such as dark stripes which seemingly conceal or disrupt the eyes. To date, research thereof has focused on the function of eye camouflage from an anti-predator, but not from a predator perspective.

Jumping spiders are superb predators with excellent vision. Numerous species of jumping spiders exhibit striking eye masking patterns. In a recent study I have shown that jumping spiders use eyes as important cues in the recognition of other (predatory) jumping spiders. Being both highly visual prey and predators with rich cognitive abilities, they offer a unique dual model system. In this seminar I will first present my experimental paradigm that allows me to robustly test the response of jumping spiders to predators. I will outline my ZUKO project plan to test how different eye masking patterns influence predator recognition and how eye masks affect foraging success. I will illustrate how 3D printing technology as well as novel 3D video tracking methods can be applied to quantify natural behavior in these charismatic animals.

Literature related to Daniela's talk:

Rößler, D.C., De Agrò, M., Kim, K., Shamble, P.S., 2021. Static visual predator recognition in jumping spiders. Functional Ecology.  https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13953

Pembury Smith, M.Q.R., and Ruxton, G.D., 2020. Camouflage in predators. Biological Reviews 95 , 1325-1340. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12612