Brief Communication: Polarized light as a butterfly mating signal
dc.contributor.author
Sweeney, Alison
en
dc.contributor.author
Jiggins, Christopher
en
dc.contributor.author
Johnsen, Sönke
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dc.coverage.spatial
2
en
dc.date.accessioned
2005-02-09T17:42:05Z
dc.date.available
2005-02-09T17:42:05Z
dc.date.issued
2003-05-01
dc.description.abstract
Iridescent butterfly scales are visually
stunning structures that reflect highly saturated
colour. They also create an array of
non-chromatic optical phenomena, such as
polarization, polarization mixing and highly
directional flashes (1,2) but the ecological
purpose of these effects is unclear (3,4). Here
we show that polarized light is used in mate
recognition by Heliconius butterflies, a
genus that is known to rely on visual cues in
sexual selection and speciation (5). This terrestrial
example of exploitation of polarized
light may have adaptive value in dense forest,
where illumination varies greatly in
spectrum and intensity.
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dc.format.extent
105424 bytes
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dc.format.mimetype
application/pdf
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dc.identifier.citation
Sweeney A, Jiggins C, Johnsen S, NATURE, 423 (6935): 31-32 MAY 1 2003
dc.identifier.uri
www.nature.com/nature
dc.identifier.uri
http://hdl.handle.net/1842/697
dc.language.iso
en
dc.publisher
Nature Publishing Group
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dc.subject
Polarised light
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dc.subject
butterfly
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dc.subject
mating signal
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dc.title
Brief Communication: Polarized light as a butterfly mating signal
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dc.type
Article
en
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