Biology subjects

Santon, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Santon, M..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Tracking animal routes in 3D space through reconstructed habitats from dynamic videos

Contextualizing the movements of animals into their three-dimensional (3D) habitat contexts is still a major challenge for fields relying on animal tracking methods. This promises to change as Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry tools and techniques revolutionize image processing into the truly 3D spatial realm, by enabling reconstructions of habitat models from overlapping photographs. Combined with tracking data, these techniques would help elucidate drivers behind animal movements that have been previously masked by two-dimensional approaches. Unfortunately, tracking methods are often still impractical for use with understudied or non-model animals, especially those living underwater. In this paper, we describe a method for tracking the translational movements of animals into a photogrammetric habitat model. Our approach spans three general parts: (1) filming the navigation paths of wild animals by following individuals with small cameras (GoPros) on extendable sticks whilst SCUBA diving, (2) reconstructing a 3D spatial habitat model from separate footage, and (3) manually plotting the 3D trajectories of animals into the habitat model. We used one popular commercial software for photogrammetric reconstruction, trajectory plotting, and measurement of trajectories, after which the plots can be exported in a variety of formats for further analyses. Straightforward and flexible methodologies such as this stand to encourage more fieldwork concerning animals that live in structurally complex habitats, or animals that are underrepresented in movement or navigation research. We expect that this approach can be adapted to study many aquatic or terrestrial animals in different habitats, and at various scales.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2026

Hierarchical processing and polarization encoding in the cephalopod visual system

Coleoid cephalopods (octopus, cuttlefish and squid, hereafter cephalopods) have evolved a range of complex visually-guided behaviours, from dexterous hunting to skin-pattern based camouflage and communication1. They have also evolved sensitivity to the polarization of light2, an adaptation thought to help detect camouflaged or semitransparent predators and prey in low visibility underwater environments3-10. How visual information is processed by the cephalopod brain to support their behaviours remains unclear. Here, studying the bigfin reef squid Sepioteuthis lessoniana, we performed calcium imaging and electrophysiological recordings from populations of neurons in the large visual center of the cephalopod brain, the optic lobe (OL). We revealed that the retina-recipient superficial OL contains a diversity of functionally distinct cell types, spatially organized into sub-layers, processing spatio-temporal features of light intensity and possessing polarization angle specificity. More complex features, e.g. direction selectivity, are seen in deeper regions of the OL cortex, which also exhibits spontaneous waves of neural activity in the absence of visual input. Neurons in the downstream OL medulla exhibit visual receptive field sizes and spontaneous activity levels which increase with brain depth, consistent with the hierarchical processing of visual information through the medullas tree-like anatomical organization. Medulla neurons exhibit sensitivity to local decreases in the degree of linear polarization (DoLP), which they integrate additively with light intensity information. Underwater imaging in the squids habitat off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, demonstrate that polarization sensitivity confers a robust short-range boost in object-background contrast over a range of objects and environmental conditions. These findings reveal convergent principles of hierarchical visual processing shared between cephalopods and vertebrates, and highlight how cephalopods utilise their distinct adaptation of polarization sensitivity to solve universal visual challenges underwater.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2018

Visual modelling validates prey detection by means of diurnal active photolocation in a small cryptobenthic fish

Active sensing has been well documented in animals that use echolocation and electrolocation. Active photolocation, or active sensing using light, has received much less attention, and only in bioluminescent nocturnal species. Recently, however, evidence has suggested the diurnal triplefin Tripterygion delaisi uses controlled iris radiance, termed ocular sparks, for prey-detection. While this form of diurnal active photolocation was behaviourally described, a study exploring the complete physical and theoretical process would provide a more compelling case supporting this mechanism. In this paper, we investigate the conditions under which diurnal active photolocation could assist T. delaisi in detecting potential prey items. In the field, we sampled prey gammarids (Genus Cheirocratus) from foraging substrates, and characterized the spectral properties of their body and eyes, which possess strong reflectors between the ommatidia. In the laboratory, we quantified ocular spark sizes and the angular dependence of their radiance. Together with environmental light measurements and the visual properties of T. delaisi, we modeled diurnal active photolocation under various scenarios. Our results corroborate that diurnal active photolocation can help T. delaisi detect gammarids at distances relevant to foraging, 4.5 cm under favourable conditions and up to 2.5 cm under average conditions. Because ocular sparks are widespread across many different fish species, diurnal active photolocation for micro-prey may be a common predation strategy.

zoology↗

bioRxiv2018

Diurnal active photolocation enhances predator detection in a marine fish

Active sensing by means of light is rare. In vertebrates, it is known only from chemiluminescent fish with light organs below their pupils, an anatomical arrangement that is ideal to generate eyeshine in the pupils of nearby organisms. Here, we test whether diurnal fish can achieve the same by redirecting sunlight through reflection instead. We recently showed that small (< 5 cm), benthic, marine triplefin fish actively redirect downwelling light using their iris. We hypothesized that this mechanism allows triplefins to improve detection of a cryptic organism by generating eyeshine in its pupil. Here, we tested this by attaching small dark hats to triplefins to shade their iris from downwelling light. Two controls consisted of triplefins with a clear or no hat. These treatments test the prediction that light redirection increases the visual detection ability of triplefins. To this end, we placed treated fish in a tank with a display compartment containing either a stone as the control stimulus, or a scorpionfish, i.e. a cryptic, motionless triplefin predator with retroreflective eyes. After overnight acclimatization, we determined the average distance triplefins kept from the display compartment over two days. Both in the laboratory (n = 15 replicates per treatment) and in a similar field experiment at 15 m depth (n = 43 replicates per treatment) fish kept longer distances from the scorpionfish than from the stone. This response varied between hat treatments: shaded triplefins stayed significantly closer to the scorpionfish in the laboratory and in one of two orientations tested in the field. A follow-up field experiment at 10 m depth revealed the immediate response of triplefins to a scorpionfish. At first, many individuals (n = 80) moved towards it, with shaded triplefins getting significantly closer. All individuals then gradually moved to a safer distance at the opposite half of the tank. Visual modelling supported the experimental results by showing that triplefins can redirect enough light with their iris to increase a scorpionfishs pupil brightness above detection threshold at a distance of 7 cm under average field conditions and at more than 12 cm under favorable conditions. We conclude that triplefins are generally good in the visual detection of a cryptic predator, but can significantly improve this ability when able to redirect downwelling light with their iris and induce eyeshine in the predators pupil. We discuss the consequences of \"diurnal active photolocation\" for visual detection and camouflage among fish species.

zoology↗

bioRxiv2017

Daytime eyeshine contributes to pupil camouflage in a cryptobenthic marine fish

Ocular reflectors enhance eye sensitivity in dim light, but can produce reflected eyeshine when illuminated. Most teleost fish occlude their reflectors during the day. The opposite is observed in cryptic sit-and-wait predators such as scorpionfish and toadfish, where reflectors are occluded at night and exposed during the day. This results in daytime eyeshine, proposed to enhance pupil camouflage by reducing the contrast between the otherwise black pupil and the surrounding tissue. In this study, we test this hypothesis in the scorpionfish Scorpaena porcus and show that eyeshine is the result of two mechanisms: the previously described Stratum Argenteum Reflected (SAR) eyeshine, and Pigment Epithelium Transmitted (PET) eyeshine, a newly described mechanism for this species. We confirm that the ocular reflector is exposed only when the eye is light-adapted, and present field measurements to show that eyeshine reduces pupil contrast against the iris. We then estimate the relative contribution of SAR and PET eyeshine to pupil brightness. Visual models for different light scenarios in the field show that daytime eyeshine enhances pupil camouflage from the perspective of a prey fish. We propose that the reversed occlusion mechanism of some cryptobenthic predators has evolved as a compromise between camouflage and vision.

evolutionary biology↗