Adaptive Mechanisms in the Ecology of Vision

This study relates the functioning of the visual system with the visual requirements demanded by the environment and behaviour of the animal in it. The book represents a review of the wealth of research that has been carried out in recent years. It deals with theoretical and physical considerations of light and photoreception, practical examples of visual system structure and function and aspects of visual behaviour and communication. Importantly, the book emphasizes one of the main themes to have emerged from studies of the ecology of vision: that the visual system is extremely adaptable when confronted with changing environmental and behavioural conditions. This updated review represents the work of leading experts working in the field of visual ecology, a requirement that reflects the high level of research activity. The book approaches the visual system from many different areas of biology including neurobiology, sensory biology, cellular biology and behavioural biology. Consequently, the book should be of interest to workers both within and outside the field of vision research and also to undergraduate and graduate students interested in vision.