Sparkling feather reflections of a bird-of-paradise explained by finite-difference time-domain modeling
Sparkling feather reflections of a bird-of-paradise explained by finite-difference time-domain modeling
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DOI：
10.1073/pnas.1323611111
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发表时间：
2014-03-25
影响因子：
11.1
通讯作者：
Stavenga, Doekele G.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Wilts, Bodo D.;Michielsen, Kristel;Stavenga, Doekele G.
极乐鸟是自然界通过性选择进化颜色的最好例子。它们明亮的、结构上彩色的羽毛在交配展示中起着主要作用。极乐鸟劳氏喙的枕羽和胸羽的结构色是由排列在层中的黑色素小棒产生的，它们共同起着干涉反射器的作用。银色的枕骨羽毛反射的光线是单向的，就像经典的多层羽毛一样，但色彩丰富的胸部羽毛反射的光线是三向的，而且非常复杂。在这里，我们表明，这两种类型的羽毛的反射特性可以定量地解释有限差分时域建模使用现实的羽毛解剖和实验确定的角蛋白和黑色素的折射率色散值。结果阐明了鸟类着色和视觉之间的相互作用，并表示调谐的交配显示器的光谱特性的鸟类视觉系统。
Birds-of-paradise are nature's prime examples of the evolution of color by sexual selection. Their brilliant, structurally colored feathers play a principal role in mating displays. The structural coloration of both the occipital and breast feathers of the bird-of-paradise Lawes' parotia is produced by melanin rodlets arranged in layers, together acting as interference reflectors. Light reflection by the silvery colored occipital feathers is unidirectional as in a classical multilayer, but the reflection by the richly colored breast feathers is three-directional and extraordinarily complex. Here we show that the reflection properties of both feather types can be quantitatively explained by finite-difference time-domain modeling using realistic feather anatomies and experimentally determined refractive index dispersion values of keratin and melanin. The results elucidate the interplay between avian coloration and vision and indicate tuning of the mating displays to the spectral properties of the avian visual system.